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tur·pen·tine (tûrpən-tīn′)
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n.
1. A thin volatile terpenoid essential oil, C10H16, obtained by steam distillation or other means from the wood or exudate of certain pine trees and used as a paint thinner, solvent, and medicinally as a liniment. Also called oil of turpentine, spirit of turpentine.
2. The sticky mixture of resin and volatile oil from which turpentine is distilled.
3. A brownish-yellow resinous liquid obtained from the terebinth.
tr.v. tur·pen·tined, tur·pen·tin·ing, tur·pen·tines
1. To apply turpentine to or mix turpentine with.
2. To extract turpentine from (a tree).
[Middle English, resin of the terebinth, from Old French terebentine, from Latin terebinthina (rēsīna), terebinth (resin), from Greek terebinthinē, feminine of terebenthinos, from terebinthos, terebinth tree.]
tur′pen·tinic (-tĭnĭk), tur′pen·tinous (-tĭnəs) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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