Veneer
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A thin decorative covering of fine material (usually wood) applied to coarser wood or other material. countable, uncountable
"Compartment and corridor partitions are of blockboard, with appropriate decorative veneers to suit the varied interior decoration."
- 2 an ornamental coating to a building wordnet
- 3 An attractive appearance that covers or disguises one's true nature or feelings, the veneer of culture. countable, uncountable
"“Yalda,” Dabashi says, “has managed to survive the centuries because it has been gently recodified with a Muslim veneer.”"
- 4 coating consisting of a thin layer of superior wood glued to a base of inferior wood wordnet
- 1 To apply veneer to. transitive
"to veneer a piece of furniture with mahogany"
- 2 cover with veneer wordnet
- 3 To disguise with apparent goodness. figuratively, transitive
"[O]ne / Discuss'd his tutor, rough to common men / But honeying at the whisper of a lord; / And one the Master, as a rogue in grain / Veneer'd with sanctimonious theory."
Example
More examples"The veneer we call civilisation is only skin deep."
Etymology
From German Furnier, from furnieren (“to inlay, cover with a veneer”), from French fournir (“to furnish, accomplish”), from Middle French fornir, from Old French fornir, furnir (“to furnish”), from Old Frankish frumjan (“to provide”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”). Cognate with Old High German frumjan, frummen (“to accomplish, execute, provide”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at furnish.
Related phrases
More for "veneer"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.