Etymology Dictionary

VENEER,  to overlay or face with a thin slice of wood.  (G.,—F.,—O.H.G.)   This curious word, after being borrowed by French from old German, was again borrowed back from French, as if it had been foreign to the G. language.   It is not old in E., and the sense has changed.   It was orig. used with reference to marquetry-work.   'Veneering, a kind of inlaid work;' Phillips, ed. 1706.   Johnson (quoting from Bailey) describes to veneer as signifying 'to make a kind of marquetry ir inlaid work, whereby several thin slices of fine wood of different sorts are fastened or glued on a ground of some common wood.'   The E. verb (older than the sb.) is borrowed from G. furniren, to inlay, to veneer, lit. 'to furnish' or provide small pieces of wood; from the careful arrangement of the pieces.—F. fournir, 'to furnish, supply, minister, find, provide of [i.e. with], accommodate with;' Cot.   A word of O.H.G. origin; see Furnish.   Der. veneer, sb., veneer-ing.   Doublet, furnish.