mother liquor

noun

the portion of a solution remaining after crystallization of its important component.

Origin of mother liquor

First recorded in 1790–1800

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mother liquor

Historical Examples of mother liquor

More crystals may be obtained by evaporating the mother-liquor.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
More crystals may be obtained by again evaporating the mother-liquor.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley
The mother-liquor of the crystallisers is pumped back into the evaporating pans for further concentration.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
These were separated, and the mother-liquor on standing deposited some oblong rectangular crystals.
Scientific American Supplement No. 275
Various
Considerable quantities of iodine are now obtained from the mother-liquor of Chilian saltpetre or nitre (nitrate of soda).
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley