Firnis
German, noun/ˈfɪʁnɪs/
Firnis is spelled F-I-R-N-I-S (6 letters) and appears about once in every 3 million words in written German, the 82,595th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Firnis is a German masculine noun meaning “varnish (clear, hardening protective layer, typically from linseed oil, especially applied to paintings)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “in der Regel farbloser Überzug bei Gemälden auf Öl- oder Harzbasis”.
What does Firnis mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculinevarnish (clear, hardening protective layer, typically from linseed oil, especially applied to paintings)
- 2
masculineA metaphorical shallow layer meant to cover up disagreeable qualities.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. in der Regel farbloser Überzug bei Gemälden auf Öl- oder Harzbasis 2. Bindemittel bei Druckfarben
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of Firnis
- Firnisses genitive
- Firnisse plural
- Firnissen dative definite plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce Firnis?
- /ˈfɪʁnɪs/
- [ˈfɪʁnɪs]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to Firnis
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is Firnis in German?
Firnis appears about once in every 3 million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).