bluing

or blue·ing

[ bloo-ing ]

/ ˈblu ɪŋ /

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noun Chemistry.

a substance, as indigo, used to whiten clothes or give them a bluish tinge.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of bluing

First recorded in 1660–70; blue + -ing¹

Words nearby bluing

blue-winged teal, bluewood, blue wood aster, bluey, bluff, bluing, bluish, Blum, Blumberg, Blumberg's sign, Blume

How to use bluing in a sentence

Two or three squeezes of a bluing ball, or a teaspoonful of liquid bluing is often a sufficient quantity for a tub of water.
The Library of Work and Play: Housekeeping|Elizabeth Hale Gilman
The bluing, consists in heating the piece till its copper or brass colour changes to blue.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
Bluing is used to neutralize the slightly yellowish tint of the fabric, when it cannot be completely bleached.
Foods and Household Management|Helen Kinne
The colour reminds one of his boyhood when he interviewed the bluing water in the family wash-tub.
Days in the Open|Lathan A. Crandall

Dan was formerly a peddler of various kinds of flavoring extracts, ink and bluing.
Company G|A. R. (Albert Rowe) Barlow