alizarin
[uh-liz-er-in]
- a solid appearing reddish-orange as crystals and brownish-yellow as powder, C14H8O4, one of the earliest known dyes, formerly obtained in its natural state from madder and now derived from anthraquinone: used chiefly in the synthesis of other dyes.
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Also a·liz·a·rine [uh-liz-er-in, -uh-reen] /əˈlɪz ər ɪn, -əˌrin/.
Origin of alizarin
1825–35; < French alizarine, equivalent to alizar(i) (< Spanish < Arabic al the + ʿaṣārah juice) + -ine -ine1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for alizarin
Historical Examples
Good and durable blues are obtained from indigo and alizarin.
The Decoration of LeatherGeorges de Rcy
This is filtered off from the alizarin lake, heated to boiling, and acidified with hydrochloric acid.
The anthrapurpurin colours resist soap and light quite as effectively as those produced with alizarin.
Wash the alizarin thus separated, dry it81 by simple exposure to air, and purify it by repeated crystallisation out of alcohol.
From the alizarin-potassium thus obtained the alizarin is set free by the aid of hydrochloric acid.
alizarin
- a brownish-yellow powder or orange-red crystalline solid used as a dye and in the manufacture of other dyes. Formula: C 6 H 4 (CO) 2 C 6 H 2 (OH) 2
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Word Origin
C19: probably from French alizarine, probably from Arabic al-’asārah the juice, from ’asara to squeeze
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
alizarin
(ə-lĭz′ər-ĭn)- An orange-red crystalline compound used in making dyes and as an indicator.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.