Patina: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Patina noun. A sheen or film that forms on a surface such as bronze or wood through age and use.
How to say it
PAT-ih-nuh/ˈpatɪnə/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (PAT).
Meanings
- A sheen or film that forms on a surface such as bronze or wood through age and use.
- An air or appearance that something has gradually taken on.
Patina in a sentence
The bronze statue has a green patina after a century of rain.
Thirty years of family dinners have given the oak table a warm patina.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- sheen
- film
- gloss
- lustre
Where patina comes from
From Italian, probably from Latin patina, a shallow dish.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Thirty years of family dinners have given the oak table a warm _____.
- leitmotif
- coda
- patina
Show the answer
patina: Thirty years of family dinners have given the oak table a warm patina.