Japan definition
An example of japan is varnishing a metal box with a black shiny coating.
An example of japan is the enamel like coating used to make metal surfaces black and shiny.
An example of Japan is where Tokyo is located.
Origin of japan
- After Japan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Although the earliest form of "Japan" in Europe was Marco Polo's "Chipangu", the first recorded form in English was in a letter dated February 19, 1565 (published 1577), spelt “Giapan”. “Of the Ilande of Giapan”, by Luīs Fróis (a Portuguese Jesuit missionary in Japan), published in Richard Willes, “The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies” (London 1577), cited in “Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery”, by Peter C. Mancall, pp. 156–57.
From Wiktionary
- From Dutch Japan or Portuguese Japão, from Malay Jepang, from Sinitic 日本 (Middle Chinese nyit-pwón < Old Chinese *nit-pˁənʔ) (compare Cantonese Yat6-bun2 日本, Korean Ilbon 일본, Japanese Nippon にっぽん, Mandarin Rìběn 日本, Vietnamese Nhật Bản).
From Wiktionary
- From Japan, due to this varnishing process being an imitation of oriental (East Asian) processes.
From Wiktionary