cyanine

[ sahy-uh-neen, -nin ]

/ ˈsaɪ əˌnin, -nɪn /

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noun

any of several groups of dyes that make silver halide photographic plates sensitive to a wider color range.

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Also cy·a·nin

[sahy-uh-nin]. /ˈsaɪ ə nɪn/.

Origin of cyanine

First recorded in 1870–75; cyan-¹ + -ine²

Words nearby cyanine

cyaneous, cyanic, cyanic acid, cyanide, cyanide process, cyanine, cyanite, cyano, cyanoacrylate, cyanobacteria, cyanobacterium

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

How to use cyanine in a sentence

Among the semi-stable, must be classed cyanine or Leitch's blue, smalt, and Prussian blue.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
Alizarin saphirole dyes clear blue, the colour produced being much more brilliant even than those of brilliant alizarin cyanine.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8|Various
Within the last few years, a compound similar to cyanine has appeared, under the name of Leitch's Blue.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
Unlike the former, cyanine, being composed of two old colours, can lay no claim to originality.
Field's Chromatography|George Field

Sulphon cyanine works well with other dye-stuffs, and gives shades which are fast to milling.
The Dyeing of Woollen Fabrics|Franklin Beech

British Dictionary definitions for cyanine

cyanine

cyanin (ˈsaɪənɪn)

/ (ˈsaɪəˌniːn) /

noun

a blue dye used to extend the sensitivity of photographic emulsions to colours other than blue and ultraviolet

any of a class of chemically related dyes, used for the same purpose

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