alkanet

American  

[al-kuh-net] / ˈæl kəˌnɛt /

noun

1. a European plant, Alkanna tinctoria, of the borage family.

2. the root of this plant, yielding a red dye.

3. the dye itself.

4. any of several similar hairy plants, as the bugloss, Anchusa officinalis, or a puccoon of the genus Lithospermum.

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alkanet British  

/ ˈælkəˌnɛt /

noun

1. a European boraginaceous plant, Alkanna tinctoria, the roots of which yield a red dye

2. Also called: anchusin.   alkannin.  the dye obtained from this plant

3. any of certain hairy blue-flowered Old World plants of the boraginaceous genus Anchusa (or Pentaglottis ), such as A. sempervirens of Europe See also bugloss

4. another name for puccoon

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Etymology

Origin of alkanet

1300–50; Middle English < Old Spanish alcaneta, equivalent to alcan ( a ) henna (plant) (< Medieval Latin alchanna < Arabic al the + hinnā̉ henna) + -eta diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alkanet

For rosy cheeks, alkanet and cochineal roots were used as the basis for rouge.

From BBC ● May 10, 2013

The first group comprises madder, cochineal, orchil, alkanet, and murexide.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various

Cochineal is turned by the potassa to a violet-red, orchil to a violet-blue, and alkanet to a decided blue.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various

Color red with two-penny worth of alkanet root.

From The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources by Anonymous

The variety under notice, violet carmine, resembles the other colours afforded by alkanet in not being able to withstand the action of light.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Thomas Salter