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suint

[soo-int, swint]
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noun
  1. the natural grease of the wool of sheep, consisting of a mixture of fatty matter and potassium salts, used as a source of potash and in the preparation of ointments.
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Origin of suint

1785–95; < French, Middle French, equivalent to su(er) to sweat (< Latin sūdāre; see sweat) + -in suffix of mass nouns (as in crottin dung); -t after oint, past participle of oindre to rub with oil, anoint
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for suint

Historical Examples

  • The "yolk" or "suint" of wool, originating from the perspiration of the animal, has long been a source of crude potash.

    De Re Metallica

    Georgius Agricola

  • It is easily seen that suint forms a very important constituent of raw wool.

  • And this estimate does not include the fats of the suint, which are worth an even greater sum.

  • By this method all the wool fat, suint, etc., of the wool find their way into the soap liquors.

  • All unwashed wool contains a fatty or greasy matter called yolk or suint.

    Handicraft for Girls

    Idabelle McGlauflin

British Dictionary definitions for suint

suint

noun
  1. a water-soluble substance found in the fleece of sheep, consisting of peptides, organic acids, metal ions, and inorganic cations and formed from dried perspiration
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Word Origin

C18: from French suer to sweat, from Latin sūdāre
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