Lanolin
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments. uncountable, usually
"She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a tray of leather-bound books in front of her; she was rubbing lanolin into their covers […] ‘Look at these lovely old editions,’ she said, showing me a couple of small tan books, their bindings still glossy and moist from the lanolin, like newly exposed conkers."
- 2 an emollient containing wool fat (a fatty substance obtained from the wool of sheep) wordnet
- 3 a yellow viscous animal oil extracted from wool; a mixture of fatty acids and esters; used in some ointments and cosmetics wordnet
- 1 To treat with lanolin. transitive
Example
More examples"She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a tray of leather-bound books in front of her; she was rubbing lanolin into their covers […] ‘Look at these lovely old editions,’ she said, showing me a couple of small tan books, their bindings still glossy and moist from the lanolin, like newly exposed conkers."
Etymology
Former trademark (1885-1902), from lāna (“wool”) + oleum (“oil”) + -in
Related phrases
More for "lanolin"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.