zaffer
or zaf·fre
[zaf-er]
- an artificial mixture, resembling smalt, containing cobalt oxide and, usually, silica, used to produce a blue color in glass and in ceramic glazes.
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Origin of zaffer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for zaffre
Historical Examples
Zaffre is now made from the cobalt ores found in these hills.
The first practical use of cobalt was in the form of zaffre or cobalt blue.
De Re MetallicaGeorgius Agricola
Zaffre is the roasted mineral ground with sand, while smalt, a term used more frequently, is the fused mixture with sand.
De Re MetallicaGeorgius Agricola
A little oxide of cobalt or zaffre is frequently added to alter the shade.
Zaffre, digested in aqua regia, and diluted with four times its weight of water, is sometimes employed; a green tint results.
The Short-storyWilliam Patterson Atkinson
zaffer
zaffre
- impure cobalt oxide, used to impart a blue colour to enamels
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Word Origin
C17: from Italian zaffera; perhaps related to Latin sapphīrus sapphire
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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