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ceruse

American  
[seer-oos, si-roos] / ˈsɪər us, sɪˈrus /

noun

  1. a pigment composed of white lead.


ceruse British  
/ səˈruːs /

noun

  1. another name for white lead

"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

Etymology

Origin of ceruse

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cērussa

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Male members of the court of Louis XIV in France painted on beauty marks, while Elizabethan Englishmen powdered their faces with ceruse, a toxic mixture of vinegar and white lead.

From New York Times May 10, 2021

Religious writers made the use of ceruse and other cosmetics a particular concern.

From Slate Dec. 6, 2018

Did Elizabeth use ceruse to excess, as most every filmic representation of the queen from the 20th and 21st centuries would have us believe?

From Slate Dec. 6, 2018

Other whitening preparations included powdered borax and sulphur, but ceruse was the most effective.

From Slate Dec. 6, 2018

A pot of ceruse, my child, that I took out of a lady's under-pocket.

From The Beaux-Stratagem by Farquhar, George

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