orchil
Americannoun
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a violet coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, chiefly species of Roccella.
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any lichen yielding this dye.
noun
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any of various lichens, esp any of the genera Roccella, Dendrographa, and Lecanora
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Also called: cudbear. a purplish dye obtained by treating these lichens with aqueous ammonia: contains orcinol, orcein, and litmus
Etymology
Origin of orchil
Borrowed into English from Old French around 1475–85
Vocabulary lists containing orchil
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It might, then, be confounded with orchil, but it is decolorized by hydrochloric acid, which leaves orchil a red.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various
It is dyed in orchil first, and then made bluer, and somewhat more secure, by being soused in a well-soaped alkaline mixture.
From The International Monthly, Volume 5, No. 4, April, 1852 by Various
Turmeric, orchil, catechu, and indigo carmine are all extremely fugitive.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 810, July 11, 1891 by Various
ORCHIL.—The fine purple called orchil is extracted from this moss.
From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by Salisbury, William
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.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
