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japan

Pronunciation: /d͡ʒəˈpæn/

The English word “japan” has 4 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A hard black enamel varnish containing asphalt.
  2. Lacquerware.

verb

  1. To varnish (something) with japan.
  2. To ordain (someone).

Etymology

From Japan, due to this varnishing process being an imitation of East Asian processes. Sense “to ordain” in reference to the black clothes worn by the clergy.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.