ciré

noun

ci·​ré sə-ˈrā How to pronounce ciré (audio)
sē-
variants or less commonly cire
1
: a highly glazed finish for fabrics usually achieved by applying wax to the fabric
2
: a fabric or garment with a ciré finish

Examples of ciré in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The works showed mastery of the cire perdue technique, used by Renaissance sculptors to cast molten metal using waxed molds. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 4 June 2021 This form of cire perdue allowed him to create many of his elaborated molds of spiraling 18-carat gold (mixed to his own specifications to a warm, but not over-warm, tone) in one movement, before putting them in cold water to set. Eve MacSweeney, Vogue, 1 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ciré.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from past participle of cirer to wax, from cire wax, from Old French, from Latin cera — more at cerumen

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ciré was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near ciré

Cite this Entry

“Ciré.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cir%C3%A9. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ciré

noun
ci·​ré sə-ˈrā How to pronounce ciré (audio)
: a shiny fabric that looks wet
Etymology

French, literally, "waxed"

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