turpentine
May. 7th, 2026 06:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordturpentine (tur-puhn-TAIN) - n., a yellowish semifluid oleoresin exuded by the terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus); a thin essential oil (C10H16) distilled from various conifers, especially originally the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), used as a thinner or solvent for paints and varnishes.
On to words noticed in Gaudy Night. Originally distilled from exuded pine sap, it's now industrially a byproduct of pulping. Or actually, originally originally distilled from the terebinth resin, but in the middle ages they found that pine sap made a better solvent and was obtainable locally, as terebinth (which note is not a conifer but a shrub belonging to the cashew family) is a Mediterranean plant. We've had the word since around 1300 in the Middle English forms terebentyne/terbentyne/turbentine, alteration of Medieval Latin terebentīna, from Latin terebinthīna, from Ancient Greek terebinthínē, terebinth.
---L.
On to words noticed in Gaudy Night. Originally distilled from exuded pine sap, it's now industrially a byproduct of pulping. Or actually, originally originally distilled from the terebinth resin, but in the middle ages they found that pine sap made a better solvent and was obtainable locally, as terebinth (which note is not a conifer but a shrub belonging to the cashew family) is a Mediterranean plant. We've had the word since around 1300 in the Middle English forms terebentyne/terbentyne/turbentine, alteration of Medieval Latin terebentīna, from Latin terebinthīna, from Ancient Greek terebinthínē, terebinth.
---L.
