Word Of The Day

patina

patina • \puh-TEE-nuh\  • noun
A patina is a usually green film that forms on copper and bronze that is exposed to moist air for an extended time. The word patina can also refer to a shiny or dark surface that over time forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather), or to a literal or figurative thin layer.

// The town erected a statue in her honor, which over the years developed a seafoam green patina.

// Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness.

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Examples:
"Family, friends and neighbors filled the frames with dancing and dominoes; their apartments painted in shades of mint, butter yellow and ... pink, flecked with a patina cultivated by humidity and time." — Suzy Exposito, The Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026

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