patina
Other forms: patinas; patinae
If you have an old bronze sculpture with a surface that has oxidized and turned green or brown, that coating is called a patina. A patina can appear on anything made of metal.
A patina can also be the shiny surface on wooden furniture that you get after years and years of polishing. You can also use the word in a metaphorical sense, to describe somebody who has acquired some surface character that doesn't go very deep — like the tycoon who has a patina of sophistication but only pretends to be interested in art and literature.
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a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal
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a sheen or gloss on a surface, especially resulting from use or age
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a thin or superficial layer on the surface of something
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a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thingsynonyms: air, atmosphere, aura
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Vocabulary lists containing patina
While the origins of this day are hard to trace and it's unclear how many observers actually celebrate this March 2 event , we thought it was a perfectly valid reason to share a list of words related to old things you might be stashing in your attic. Even if your musty junk isn't worth much to anyone but you, expanding your vocabulary always has value!
Words from Round 2 of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Full list is here.
During the Great Depression, the Joad family leaves a failing farm in Oklahoma in hopes of a better life out west.