patinate

[ pat-n-eyt ]

verb (used with object)

, pat·i·nat·ed, pat·i·nat·ing.

1. to cover or encrust with a patina.

Other Words From

• pati·nation noun
• un·pati·nated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of patinate¹

First recorded in 1875–80; patin(a) + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Unlike other tiles that are finished with a layer of impervious glaze, Leflore points out that the appearance of cement tiles is meant to patinate with time.

From New York Times

They had the can-you-top-this confidence of an artist who saw Borromini as his peer, but they were more inviting than Serra’s previous steel works, beckoning you to explore their warmly patinated expanses.

From New York Times

Chicago-based interior design firm Curioso wove blues and greens inspired by the Northwest’s woods and water balanced by warm textiles, patinated metals, natural brick and exposed timber.

From Seattle Times

Catillaz adds squared pedestals and an array of subtly colored glazes that almost appear airbrushed to her moon jars, giving some of them a warm patinated effect and others a faintly sparkly, celestial shimmer.

From New York Times

But the belief that ancient sculpture was monochrome — white as marble or uniformly patinated bronze — remains more durable and persistent than the scholarship.

From Washington Post