lanolin

English

Tins of wool fat (lanolin) at the Centre touristique de la Laine et de la Mode in Verviers, Belgium

Alternative forms

• lanoline

Etymology

Former trademark (1885-1902), from lana (“wool”) + oleum (“oil”) + -in

Noun

lanolin (usually uncountable, plural lanolins)

1. A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.
   • 2009, Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger, Virago Press (2018), pages 138-139:

     She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a tray of leather-bound books in front of her; she was rubbing lanolin into their covers […] ‘Look at these lovely old editions,’ she said, showing me a couple of small tan books, their bindings still glossy and moist from the lanolin, like newly exposed conkers.

Synonyms

• E913 when used as a glazing agent
• (greasy yellow substance): lanichol, laniol, wool fat, wool grease, wool wax, yolk

Derived terms

• lanolin bush

Translations

greasy yellow substance

• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܙܘܦܐ m (zōṗā)

• Armenian: լանոլին (hy) (lanolin)
• Bulgarian: ланоли́н (lanolín)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羊毛脂 (zh) (yángmáozhī)

• Finnish: lanoliini
• French: lanoline (fr) f
• German: Wollwachs n, Wollschweißfett n (archaic)
• Greek: λανολίνη (el) f (lanolíni)

  Ancient: οἰσύπη f (oisúpē), οἴσυπος m (oísupos)

• Icelandic: ullarfeiti f
• Irish: úsc olla m
• Italian: lanolina (it) f
• Japanese: ラノリン (ranorin)
• Korean: 라놀린 (ranollin), 양모지(羊毛脂) (yangmoji)
• Latin: oesypum n, lānolīnum n, adeps lānae m
• Macedonian: сереј m (serej), серај m (seraj), ланолин m (lanolin)
• Portuguese: lanolina f
• Romanian: lanolină (ro) f
• Russian: ланоли́н (ru) m (lanolín)
• Spanish: lanolina f
• Tagalog: lanolina

Verb

lanolin (third-person singular simple present lanolins, present participle lanolining, simple past and past participle lanolined)

1. (transitive) To treat with lanolin.