rosin

1 of 2

noun

ros·​in ˈrä-zᵊn How to pronounce rosin (audio)
ˈrȯ-,
 dialectal  ˈrȯ-zəm
: a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obtained from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees or from tall oil and used especially in making varnish

rosin

2 of 2

verb

rosined; rosining ˈräz-niŋ How to pronounce rosin (audio)
ˈrȯz-;
ˈrä-zᵊn-iŋ,
ˈrȯ-

transitive verb

: to rub or treat (something, such as the bow of a violin) with rosin

Examples of rosin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Scherzer said the stickiness was because of a combination of legal rosin and old-fashioned sweat. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023 Passion flower and vanilla round out a flavor profile that’s given a little extra depth thanks to the terpenes of hemp flower rosin, which delivers 10 milligrams of CBD in each Turkish-delight-style gummy (20 to a box). Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 The three-time Cy Young Award winner insisted the substance umpires found too sticky was simply his sweat mixed with rosin — a legal substance for pitchers, if applied properly. Associated Price, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023 Anything else simply isn’t worth your time as rosin core contains a mild flux to aid adhesion and doesn’t need to be cleaned up afterward. Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 4 Apr. 2023 As teammate Max Scherzer did when he was caught and suspended in April, Smith maintained the stickiness was only a mixture of rosin and sweat. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 14 June 2023 Major League Baseball has standardized how pitchers use rosin this season, so thousands of rosin bags are being shipped to teams from a single company that obtains, produces and transports the product. John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 May 2022 Scherzer said the sticky stuff was a combination of legal rosin and sweat. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2023 The strain of our new rosin currently on shelves is Spritzer. Lindsey Bartlett, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022
Verb
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will rosin its bows with hard rock in a performance of Def Leppard music on July 6. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 7 May 2023 Roll out the red carpet, rosin up the bows and shine the trophies. Sean Clancy, Arkansas Online, 5 June 2022 This year, rosin bags at every stadium will be the same. Jorge Castillostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2022 Soon, in the empty living room, Ronco’s right arm was dancing, and rosin dust floated through the sunlight. Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2022 Every musician has a particular set of tasks and warm-ups before a performance or practice session—oiling the valves, rosining the bow, tuning, long tones, scales, stretches. Rachel Hawley, Smithsonian, 27 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rosin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French reisine, rosine resin

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rosin was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near rosin

Cite this Entry

“Rosin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rosin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rosin

1 of 2 noun
ros·​in ˈräz-ᵊn How to pronounce rosin (audio)
ˈrȯz-
: an amber-colored to almost black brittle resin obtained especially from pine trees and used especially in making varnish and on violin bows

rosin

2 of 2 verb
: to rub (as the bow of a violin) with rosin

Medical Definition

rosin

noun
: a translucent amber-colored to almost black brittle friable resin that is obtained from the oleoresin or deadwood of pine trees or from tall oil and is used in pharmacology as an adhesive constituent in plasters, cerates, and ointments

called also colophony

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