orchil

American  

[awr-kil, -chil] / ˈɔr kɪl, -tʃɪl /

noun

1. a violet coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, chiefly species of Roccella.

2. any lichen yielding this dye.

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orchil British  

/ -tʃɪl, ˈɔːkɪl /

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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Etymology

Origin of orchil

Borrowed into English from Old French around 1475–85

Example Sentences

Specimens of varieties of the lichens used in the manufacture of cudbear, orchil and litmus, and of the substance obtained, were also shown in the British department, which were awarded prize medals.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

ORCHIL.—The fine purple called orchil is extracted from this moss.

From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by Salisbury, William

The first group comprises madder, cochineal, orchil, alkanet, and murexide.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various

Withering asserts it yields a purple dye, paler, but more permanent, than orchil; which is prepared in Iceland by steeping in stale lye, adding a little salt and making it up into balls with lime.

From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Mairet, Ethel M.

The acid turns logwood violet to a fine red, and equally reddens orchil violet.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various