veneer.

1. A thin outer layer of attractive material bonded or attached to a less expensive or different underlying surface.

2. A superficial appearance that conceals a different underlying character.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• wood veneer
• brick veneer
• peeling veneer

On the page

The desk's veneer had peeled away at one corner.

A brick veneer gave the new building the appearance of a solid masonry house.

She rubbed the polished walnut veneer and noticed the cheap board beneath it.

Usage notes

Primary category: architecture. Wood veneer is thin wood facing; masonry veneer can be thicker but is still a facing, not the whole wall. Count and mass noun: veneers. Secondary verb: veneer, veneers, veneered, veneered, veneering.