noun

1. a coating substance consisting of resinous materials, as cellulose esters or ethers, shellac, or gum or alkyd resins, dissolved in ethyl alcohol or other solvent that evaporates rapidly on application, leaving a tough, adherent film: pigments are often added to form lacquer enamels
2. a resinous varnish obtained from certain Chinese and Japanese trees (esp. Toxicodendron verniciflua) of the cashew family, used to give a hard, smooth, highly polished finish to wood
3. a decorative article or articles made of wood and coated with this lacquer
   in full lacquerware lac′·quer·ware′ or lacquerwork lac′·quer·work′

Etymology: Fr laquer, earlier lacre < Port < laca, gum lac < Hindi lākh: see lac

transitive verb