Definition of "veneer" []

• A thin surface layer, as of finely grained wood, glued to a base of inferior material. (noun)
• Any of the thin layers glued together to make plywood. (noun)
• A decorative facing, as of brick. (noun)
• A deceptive, superficial show; a façade: a veneer of friendliness. (noun)
• To overlay (a surface) with a thin layer of a fine or decorative material. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They rarely draw the conclusion that the veneer is the most important thing about civilization."
• ""But, at the same time," he said, "there were broader currents of discrimination that pushed against what I call the veneer of legal equality.""
• "U.S. industry needs a steady supply of engineers and technicians to keep things humming, but the fact is that those who will really make a difference, who will come up with the products, or ideas, or research results that really mean something are a very thin veneer at the top."