litmus

[lit-muhs]

noun

1. a blue coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, especially Roccella tinctoria. In alkaline solution litmus turns blue, in acid solution, red: widely used as a chemical indicator.

litmus

/ ˈlɪtməs /

noun

1. a soluble powder obtained from certain lichens. It turns red under acid conditions and blue under basic conditions and is used as an indicator

litmus

1. A colored powder, obtained from certain lichens, that changes to red in an acid solution and to blue in an alkaline solution. Litmus is a mixture of various closely related heterocyclic organic compounds.

2. ◆ Litmus is typically added to paper to make litmus paper, which can be used to determine whether a solution is basic or acidic by dipping a strip of the paper into the solution and seeing how the paper changes color.

litmus

1. In chemistry, a kind of paper used to tell whether a solution is an acid or a base. Acids turn blue litmus paper red; bases turn red litmus paper blue. Other testing paper or sophisticated instruments can be used to measure the pH of a solution more precisely.

The term litmus is often used to refer to a general and simple test: “Your vote on this issue is a litmus test of your political philosophy.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of litmus¹

1495–1505; earlier lytmos < Old Norse litmosi dye-moss, equivalent to lit- color, dye + mosi moss

Word History and Origins

Origin of litmus¹

C16: perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse litmosi, from litr dye + mosi moss

Example Sentences

There are no political, religious or secularist orthodoxies or litmus tests.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some also see cryptocurrency as increasingly a litmus test for where stocks will go.

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The proposals would be a “litmus test for the fight against red tape in Brussels and Strasbourg,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a joint summit on digital sovereignty with French President Emmanuel Macron.

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And the popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee said it was a "litmus test" for fans who "buy or defend anything Apple releases".

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The all-volunteer organization sends applicants a lengthy questionnaire with dozens of litmus test questions: Do they support diverting funds away from law enforcement?

Read more on Los Angeles Times