Rosining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of spreading rosin, a sticky substance, onto a surface to improve grip or friction
2. Applying a solid resin material to an item, often to enhance adherence or traction
3. Coating an object with rosin, typically to increase friction or prepare for use in various activities

Etymology: Rosining is the present participle of "rosin", so its story is really the story of the base noun. Rosin is a doublet of resin: the two words came into English by different routes from the same source. Resin arrived directly from Latin "resina", while rosin passed through Old French, where "raisine" and "rousine" were variant forms of "résine". The French forms shifted the vowel and reshaped the word, which is why English ended up with two near-identical words for one substance. The sticky material itself is the same. Rosin is the solid residue left after the volatile oils are distilled out of pine sap, typically a hard amber substance. Its uses explain why the verb came to mean rubbing or coating something with it. Violinists and bow makers rub rosin onto horsehair so the bow grips the strings, which is the root of the sense of coating an object to increase friction. Dancers, athletes and magicians use it on their hands and equipment for the same reason.

Synonyms: pitching, resining, sapping, tapping, gumming