turpentine

American  

[tur-puhn-tahyn] / ˈtɜr pənˌtaɪn /

noun

1. any of various oleoresins derived from coniferous trees, especially the longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, and yielding a volatile oil and a resin when distilled.

2. Also called Chian turpentine.  an oleoresin exuded by the terebinth, Pistacia terebinthus.

3. oil of turpentine.

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verb (used with object)

turpentined, turpentining

1. to treat with turpentine; apply turpentine to.

2. to gather or take crude turpentine from (trees).

turpentine British  

/ ˈtɜːpənˌtaɪn /

noun

1. Also called: gum turpentine.  any of various viscous oleoresins obtained from various coniferous trees, esp from the longleaf pine, and used as the main source of commercial turpentine

2. a brownish-yellow sticky viscous oleoresin that exudes from the terebinth tree

3. Also called: oil of turpentine.   spirits of turpentine.  Sometimes (esp Brit) shortened to: turps.  a colourless flammable volatile liquid with a pungent odour, distilled from turpentine oleoresin. It is an essential oil containing a mixture of terpenes and is used as a solvent for paints and in medicine as a rubefacient and expectorant

4. Also called: turpentine substitute.   white spirit.  (not in technical usage) any one of a number of thinners for paints and varnishes, consisting of fractions of petroleum

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verb

1. to treat or saturate with turpentine

2. to extract crude turpentine from (trees)

turpentine Scientific  

/ tûr′pən-tīn′ /

1. A thin, easily vaporized oil that is distilled from the wood or resin of certain pine trees. It is used as a paint thinner and solvent. Chemical formula: C ₁₀ H ₁₆ .

2. The sticky mixture of resin and oil from which this oil is distilled.

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Other Word Forms

• turpentinic adjective
• turpentinous adjective
• turpentiny adjective
• unturpentined adjective

Etymology

Origin of turpentine

1275–1325; late Middle English, alteration of Middle English ter ( e ) bentyn ( e ) < Medieval Latin ter ( e ) bentīna, for Latin terebinthīna, noun use of feminine of terebinthīnus of the turpentine tree, equivalent to terebinth ( us ) turpentine tree (< Greek terébinthos ) + -īnus -ine ¹

Example Sentences

The US government was seeking a source of transportable Vitamin C for troops that didn't taste like turpentine.

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

They are both visual artists, and so I grew up in a studio home, where paint was flying onto walls, the smell of turpentine wafting up through the floorboards.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2022

Back when Bartels raced as Eureka Pete, he used to favor paraffin, a little turpentine and some WD-40.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2022

The committee said the fortune of Harley Langdale Jr. was based on camps where where African American workers made turpentine from pine resin.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2021

The door was locked, and before we could figure out how to get into the shed the whole thing caught—the mattress, the ladders, the paint, the turpentine, everything.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah