[ noun ] a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal <noun.artifact>
patina \pat"ina\ (p[a^]t"[i^]*n[.a]; It. p[aum]"t[-e]*n[.a]), n. [It., fr. L. patina a dish, a pan, a kind of cake. Cf. {Paten}.] 1. A dish or plate of metal or earthenware; a patella.
2. (Fine Arts) The color or incrustation which age gives to works of art; especially, the green rust which covers ancient bronzes, coins, and medals. --Fairholt.
No matter where one turned in Cairo, all paths led back to the past, and those things that seemed very old and very dead lay just under a patina of modernism.
Chinese police say the dui in the catalog is identical in shape, decoration and patina spots to one that was stolen June 4 from the Qu Yuan Museum in Zigui County in central China's Hubei province. The thieves remain at large.
'Any turnaround of a city like Glasgow takes about 25 years, a full generation. So far we've done 10 years and transformed the urban landscape, laying a patina of improvement across the city.
A minority of these sitting judges opposed Judge Bork in these private hearings, no doubt encouraging the minority on the ABA panel, again lending a professional patina to the opposition.
But there wasn't enough time, so he opted for bronze's natural patina of green, he said.
Wilde is all about uncomfortable social situations, and his brilliance in comedy was to apply a patina of politeness to rank improbabilities.