realgar

[ree-al-ger, -gahr]

noun

arsenic disulfide, As2S2, found in nature as an orange-red mineral and also produced artificially: used in pyrotechnics.

Origin of realgar

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin realger ≪ Arabic rahj al-ghār powder of the mine or cave

Also called red orpiment.

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

Examples from the Web for realgar

Historical Examples of realgar

Note: Realgar: The Chinese believe that realgar is a mithridate and tonic.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
To the unctuous juices belong these species: sulphur, bitumen, realgar and orpiment.
De Re Metallica
Georgius Agricola
In former times, orpiment, like realgar, was employed in medicine.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
A mounting medium of the highest refractive index, such as realgar, is required to resolve the stri.
The Diatomaceae of Philadelphia and Vicinity
Charles Sumner Boyer
An alternative to the above process is to hasten the earlier part of the liming by employing sodium sulphide instead of realgar.
Animal Proteins
Hugh Garner Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for realgar

realgar

noun

a rare orange-red soft mineral consisting of arsenic sulphide in monoclinic crystalline form. It occurs in Utah and Romania and as a deposit from hot springs. It is an important ore of arsenic and is also used as a pigment. Formula: AsS

Word Origin for realgar

C14: via Medieval Latin from Arabic rahj al-ghar powder of the mine

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