English word for something initially like paint (6)
I believe the answer is:
enamel
'paint' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'english word for something initially like' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'word for something' becomes 'name'.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'like' is 'l'.
'e'+'name'+'l'='ENAMEL'
(Other definitions for enamel that I've seen before include "Glassy coating" , "Outer tooth material" , "Tooth surface" , "Ale men (anag.)" , "Dental material" .)