- Japan is defined as an Asian island country located off the Eastern coast of Asia.
An example of Japan is where Tokyo is located.
- Japan means a hard smooth and glossy black coating.
An example of japan is the enamel like coating used to make metal surfaces black and shiny.
- The definition of japan is to add a dark, smooth and hard gloss to a metal object.
An example of japan is varnishing a metal box with a black shiny coating.
- island country in the Pacific, off the E coast of Asia, including Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, & many smaller islands: 145,841 sq mi (377,727 sq km); pop. 123,612,000; cap. Tokyo
- arm of the Pacific, between Japan & E Asia: 391,100 sq mi (1,012,945 sq km)
- A black enamel or lacquer used to produce a durable glossy finish.
- An object decorated with this substance.
transitive verbja·panned, ja·pan·ning, ja·pans
- To decorate with a black enamel or lacquer.
- To coat with a glossy finish.
Origin of japanAfter Japan.
(third-person singular simple present japans, present participle japanning, simple past and past participle japanned)
- To varnish with japan.
From Japan, due to this varnishing process being an imitation of oriental (East Asian) processes.
From Dutch Japan or Portuguese Japão, from Malay Jepang, from Sinitic 日本 (Middle Chinese nyit-pwón < Old Chinese *nit-pˁənʔ) (compare Cantonese Yat6-bun2 日本, Korean Ilbon 일본, Japanese Nippon にっぽん, Mandarin Rìběn 日本, Vietnamese Nhật Bản).
Although the earliest form of "Japan" in Europe was Marco Polo's "Chipangu", the first recorded form in English was in a letter dated February 19, 1565 (published 1577), spelt “Giapan”. “Of the Ilande of Giapan”, by Luīs Fróis (a Portuguese Jesuit missionary in Japan), published in Richard Willes, “The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies” (London 1577), cited in “Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery”, by Peter C. Mancall, pp. 156–57.