1. A substance similar to paint which is used to seal and to harden a surface that is glossy: Lee was asking the clerk in the paint store what the best kind of varnish was available for painting his chairs.

Patrice accidentally scratched the varnish on top of the table.

2. A naturally produced substance; such as, the sap of certain trees that exists in nature: Some trees produce sap that dries and forms a hard glossy surface similar to varnish, but it isn't used by people to paint things.

1. To cover something with a hard smooth and hard finish that results in a shiny coating: Alfred was varnishing the family dining table.

Shelby showed her son how to varnish the bookcase and then to give it a coat of wax.

2. To embellish, to adorn, to disguise, or to gloss over: Tammy tends to varnish the truth about her trip to France in order to make her story more interesting.

Calvin varnished his report by glossing over some of the errors that the committee made during the project.

A polish that is processed from amber, or from resin of a tree: Amber decomposes when heated below 300 degrees Celsius, yielding "oil of amber", and a black residue called "amber pitch".

When dissolved in oil of turpentine or linseed oil, it forms amber varnish or amber lac.