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litmus test
noun
- Chemistry. the use of litmus paper or solution to test the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.
- a crucial and revealing test in which there is one decisive factor.
litmus test
noun
- a test to establish the acidity or alkalinity of a mixture
- a critical indication of future success or failure
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Word History and Origins
Origin of litmus test1
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Example Sentences
Brutally, the litmus test is whether they’re led or whether they’re managed.
The first thing we did was find a manufacturing partner that met our litmus tests of being able to produce genuine medical masks, was socially responsible, and was able to produce masks at scale to ensure they were affordable.
The facilities have become a kind of litmus test for how policymakers rate the strength of the recovery.
Satire has been a key feature of Kenyan political culture for decades now, humorously exposing and criticizing wrongs while also acting as a litmus test for free speech.
She’s a litmus test for us, along with all the other people that are working.
Again, that pre-communion questionnaire sin litmus test might prove handy.
Applying an ideological litmus test for commencement speakers is not a good idea.
But when did they become the litmus test of competence in office?
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act in toto might linger as a litmus test for conservatives.
The right-wing base and media will make it a litmus test issue.
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More About Litmus Test
What is a litmus test?
A litmus test is used in chemistry to determine if a solution is acidic or basic using litmus or litmus paper.
Litmus comes from certain species of lichens. Litmus will turn blue when exposed to a base and red when exposed to an acid. Litmus paper is paper with litmus in or on it.
A litmus test is a very basic chemical test in which you dip a piece of litmus paper in an unknown solution and look at what color the paper changes to—either red or blue. If the paper doesn’t change color, then the solution is either chemically neutral (not an acid or a base) or it matches whatever color the litmus currently is.
Litmus testing is so common and well known that the phrase litmus test is also used to mean that something is a strong indication of a future success or failure, as in Record producers viewed the young singer’s career as a litmus test for a new generation of teenage musical stars.
Why is litmus test important?
The first records of the figurative sense of litmus test come from around 1955. It refers to the chemical litmus test, which originated in the 1300s, after scientists discovered that litmus changes color in reaction to acids and bases.
Chemical litmus tests are a common, simple experiment taught in elementary science classes when explaining acids and bases. Your teacher will ask you to dip litmus paper in an unknown liquid and then watch whether the paper changes color to determine if the liquid is an acid, a base, or neutral.
Outside of chemistry, the phrase litmus test is commonly used to describe an event or situation that is being closely monitored to be used when planning for the future. For example, national political parties often view local elections as litmus tests for which candidates or policies will be popular with a large number of voters.
Did you know ... ?
One reason litmus tests are useful is that the two most common gases in air, nitrogen and oxygen, are chemically neutral. Otherwise, exposing litmus tests to air would make the papers change color.
What are real-life examples of litmus test?
This image shows a collection of litmus tests in which litmus paper has been turned red or blue by several different solutions.
Litmus Paper and the Litmus Test https://t.co/mCm6Y7tH3C pic.twitter.com/hDJjGoVItN
— Anne Helmenstine (@azareal) February 12, 2021
Almost all students will perform a litmus test experiment in chemistry class. But the figurative use of litmus test is also very popular, especially when discussing politics.
The litmus test as to whether you paid attention in school is if you know what a litmus test is
— gongtown (@gongs) February 13, 2015
On my second day in Guwahati, I see Union Home Minister @AmitShah making a grand entry in the middle of frenzied supporters of Assam. The polls are a litmus test on the Saffron might in northeast whether it can hold onto the 2016 wave. pic.twitter.com/6zXbE6rly2
— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) March 15, 2021
What other words are related to litmus test?
Quiz yourself!
True or False?
When you perform a litmus test, you dip a piece of litmus paper in a solution to determine whether the liquid is an acid or a base.
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