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.
The first group comprises madder, cochineal, orchil, alkanet, and murexide.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 363, December 16, 1882 by Various
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
It was about this time, too, that a Florentine named Rucellai rediscovered the method of making the purple dye orchil from certain lichens of Asia Minor.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various
Much orchil was formerly gathered, and there is good pasturage for the numerous herds of cattle.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various
Litmus is also obtained from the same lichens as yield orchil.
From The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing Lectures Delivered Before the Hat Manufacturers' Association by Shonk, Albert
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.
