bistre

or bis·ter

[ bis-ter ]

/ ˈbɪs tər /

noun

a brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood, often used in pen and wash drawings.

a yellowish to dark-brown color.

Nearby words

bistate, bister, bisto, bistort, bistoury, bistre, bistro, bisulcate, bisulfate, bisulfide, bisulfite

Origin of bistre

1720–30; < French, Middle French, of obscure origin

Related formsbis·tred, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bistre

Reddish-brown, marone, bistre with a golden light in it, suited her to perfection.
The Commission in Lunacy|Honore de Balzac
Her eyes were hideous to him in their great rings of paint and bistre.
The Divine Fire|May Sinclair
It is an ample structure with a church tower of bistre which forms a most pleasing note of colour in the landscape.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Touraine and the Loire Country|Francis Miltoun
It is drawn with a pen, on paper larger than usual, with a mere outline heightened with bistre.
A Treatise on Painting|Leonardo Da Vinci

Why, my boys rub blue and bistre till their faces run of a stream.
Pencil Sketches|Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for bistre

bistre

US bister

/ (ˈbɪstə) /

noun

a transparent water-soluble brownish-yellow pigment made by boiling the soot of wood, used for pen and wash drawings

a yellowish-brown to dark brown colour
(as modifier)bistre paint

Word Origin for bistre

C18: from French, of unknown origin

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