What does dammar mean?
Dammar is a hard, pale, glassy resin obtained primarily from trees of the genus Shorea and related dipterocarps native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. Also spelled damar and sometimes sold as dammar gum, it has long been prized for producing clear, durable varnishes and lacquers, and it plays an important role in oil painting, where artists use it as a medium and picture varnish to add gloss and protect pigments. Dammar also appears in printing inks, paper sizing, and traditional caulking. The word entered English in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century through trade with the Malay Archipelago, borrowing the Malay word damar, which simply means resin or torch. Today dammar remains a specialist term, most familiar to conservators, painters, and woodworkers, evoking the craft traditions of both Southeast Asian harvesting and European fine-art finishing.
nounA hard, transparent resin obtained chiefly from trees of the genus Shorea and other dipterocarps of Southeast Asia, used in making varnishes, lacquers, and inks.
- A hard transparent resin from Southeast Asian dipterocarp trees, used in varnishes, lacquers, inks, and as a paint medium.
- The tree that yields this resin.
"The restorer mixed the pigment into a dammar medium to give the painting its characteristic warm gloss."
"The furniture was finished with several coats of dammar varnish to achieve a deep amber sheen."
"Harvesters collect dammar by tapping the trunks of Shorea trees growing in Indonesian forests."
The plural is rare, typically appearing only when referring to multiple varieties or batches of the resin.
"The shop stocked several dammars sourced from different islands of Indonesia."
Old Master paintings still glow centuries later partly because conservators seal them with dammar, a sticky tree sap harvested from Southeast Asian rainforests.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dammar
Dammar comes from the Malay word damar, meaning resin or torchwood, which itself derives from a Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root referring to resinous material used for torches. The term entered English during the era of trade with the East Indies, appearing in English texts by the late seventeenth century as merchants described resins exported from the Malay Archipelago. Related borrowings from Malay include the alternate spellings damar and dammer, while other resin words such as gutta-percha and camphor reflect parallel borrowings from languages of the same region.
Related word forms
How dammar is actually used
Dammar is a technical term encountered mainly in art conservation, fine woodworking, printing, and botany. It is also spelled "damar" or "dammer," reflecting its Malay origin, and is sometimes called "dammar gum." The word carries no figurative or informal usage.
Easily confused with dammar
A damson is a small tart plum, whereas dammar is a tree resin used in varnishes.