affinage

noun

plural -s

1

obsolete : the act or process of refining a metal

2

: the act or process of aging cheese

Affinage does for cheeses what great coaching does for athletes.

—Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating, 2003

Word History

Etymology

French, from affiner to refine + -age

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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