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orchil

[awr-kil, -chil]
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noun
  1. a violet coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, chiefly species of Roccella.
  2. any lichen yielding this dye.
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Origin of orchil

Borrowed into English from Old French around 1475–85
Also called archil, orseille.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for orchil

Historical Examples

  • What's the matter with Orchil, and that hatchet-faced beagle-pup, Mottly?

    The Younger Set

    Robert W. Chambers

  • "He seems to be inside this deal," ventured Orchil with his suave smile.

    The Younger Set

    Robert W. Chambers

  • "Captain Selwyn is perfectly right," observed Orchil coolly.

    The Younger Set

    Robert W. Chambers

  • Turmeric, orchil, catechu, and indigo carmine are all extremely fugitive.

  • Roccella, rok-sel′a, n. a genus of parmeliaceous lichens, yielding dyers' archil or orchil.

British Dictionary definitions for orchil

orchil

archil

noun
  1. any of various lichens, esp any of the genera Roccella, Dendrographa, and Lecanora
  2. Also called: cudbear a purplish dye obtained by treating these lichens with aqueous ammonia: contains orcinol, orcein, and litmus
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Word Origin

C15: from Old French orcheil, of uncertain origin
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