cudbear

[ kuhd-bair ]

noun

a violet coloring matter obtained from various lichens, especially Lecanora tartarea.

Origin of cudbear

First recorded in 1760–70; coinage by Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, 18th-century Scottish chemist, based on his own name

Words Nearby cudbear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cudbear in a sentence

A mordant of alum, followed by a hot bath of brazil wood, and afterwards by a weak one of cudbear.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I | Arnold Cooley
The above deep red feathers are passed through a bath of cudbear.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure
Instead of logwood a little madder is sometimes used; also cudbear or Barwood.
Vegetable Dyes | Ethel M. Mairet
The manufacture of Archil and cudbear from the various lichens is simple in principle.
Vegetable Dyes | Ethel M. Mairet
The lichens thus treated acquire gradually a deep purple colour, and form the products called "cudbear."
The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing | Watson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for cudbear

cudbear

/ (ˈkʌdˌbɛə) /

noun

another name for orchil

Origin of cudbear

C18: whimsical alteration of Cuthbert, the Christian name of Dr Gordon, 18th-century Scot who patented the dye. See cuddy ²

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

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