Etymology Dictionary

VARNISH,  a kind of size or glaze, a liquid employed to give a glossy surface.  (F.,—L.)   M.E. vernisch.   'Vernysche, Vernicium;' Prompt. Parv.   In P. Plowman, A. v. 70, the Vernon MS. wrongly reads vernisch for vergeous (verjuice); still, this shews that the word was already known before A.D. 1400.—F. vernis, 'varnish, made of linseed oyle and the gumme of the juniper-tree;' Cot.   Hence the verb vernisser, 'to sleeke or glaze over with varnish;' Cot.   Cf. Span. berniz, barniz, varnish, lacquer; barnizar, to varnish, lacquer; Ital. vernice, varnish; vernicare, verniciare, to varnish.   B. The simplest form appears in O.F. vernir, pp. verni, whence the adj. vernis, as in 'l'escu d'or vernis,' the polished shield of gold, cited by Diez.   This O.F. vernir corresponds to a Low Lat. form vitrinire*, to glaze, from Low Lat. vitrinus, glassy, occurring A.D. 1376 (Ducange); to which Diez adds that Low Lat. vitrinus accounts for the Prov. veirin, glassy.   Cf. F. verre = Lat. uitrum.   Scheler remarks that in O.F. poetry the epithets verni and vernis are often applied to a shield, the former being the pp. of vernir, whilst the latter is equivalent to a Low Lat. adj. vernicius*.   B. Hence F. vernis is allied to verni, pp. of vernir = Low Lat. vitrinire*; from Low Lat. uitrinus, formed from Lat. uitrum, glass.   See Vitreous.   Der. varnish, verb; Palsgrave has:  'I vernysshe a spurre, or any yron with vernysshe, je vernis;' which exemplifies the O.F. verb vernir.   > The above etymology, proposed by Menage, is approved by Diez and Scheler.   Wedgwood says:  'It seems to me more probable that it is from Gk. Beronike, Bernike, amber, applied by Agapias to sandarach, a gum rosin similar in appearance to amber, of which varnish was made; Gk. Bernikiazein, to varnish; Ducange, Greek Glossary.   Cf. mod. Gk. Berniki, varnish.'   The connection may be real; but I suggest that the derivation runs the other way; the Gk. Bernike looks very like the Ital. vernice, varnish (also sandarach), written in Gk. letters.   It is clearly not a Greek word.