encaustic means prepared by means of heat; burned in. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why “encaustic” is a great word
ENCAUSTIC — [Adjective, Noun] A method of painting using pigments mixed with hot wax that are fused to a surface by the application of heat. From Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός (enkaustikós, "burning in"), from ἐν (en, "in") and καίω (kaíō, "to burn"). First attested in English c. 1600 as a noun, 1650s as an adjective. Unlike fresco, whose pigments bond chemically with wet plaster, or tempera, which dries by evaporation, encaustic is a deliberate, thermal welding of color. It is the scent of beeswax and resin melting on a hot plate, the viscous drag of the brush, and the final, sealing pass of the cauterium that locks pigment into a luminous, durable skin—a pact with fire, preserving through a small, controlled act of combustion.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός (enkaustikós, “burning in”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).
adj
- Prepared by means of heat; burned in.“After all, no sealant or finish is necessary in the encaustic medium, and shellac is stinky, caustic and messy.”
noun
- A wax-based paint that is fixed in place by heating.“It has become usual in discussions of Flags facture to use the terms, suggested by [Jasper] Johns himself, ‘encaustic', oil and collage on fabric’.”
- A painting produced using this type of paint.