veneer

Etymology

From German Furnier, from furnieren (“to inlay, cover with a veneer”), from French fournir (“to furnish, accomplish”), from Middle French fornir, from Old French fornir, furnir (“to furnish”), from Old Frankish frumjan (“to provide”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”). Cognate with Old High German frumjan, frummen (“to accomplish, execute, provide”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at furnish.

noun

1. A thin decorative covering of fine material (usually wood) applied to coarser wood or other material.
   A very neat old woman, still in her good outdoor coat and best beehive hat, was sitting at a polished mahogany table on whose surface there were several scored scratches so deep that a triangular piece of the veneer had come cleanly away, […]. 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess
2. An attractive appearance that covers or disguises one's true nature or feelings.
   “Yalda,” Dabashi says, “has managed to survive the centuries because it has been gently recodified with a Muslim veneer.” December 5 2014, “Joy From the World”, in The New York Times Magazine, retrieved 2014-12-06

verb

1. (transitive, woodworking) To apply veneer to.
   to veneer a piece of furniture with mahogany
   The stateroom walls are veneered with finely figured English chestnut with the skirting and mouldings in English walnut. 1947 January and February, “South African Royal Train”, in Railway Magazine, page 36
2. (transitive, figurative) To disguise with apparent goodness.