zaffer

or zaf·fre

[zaf-er]

noun

an artificial mixture, resembling smalt, containing cobalt oxide and, usually, silica, used to produce a blue color in glass and in ceramic glazes.

Origin of zaffer

1655–65; < Italian zaffera, perhaps < Latin sapphīra sapphire

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

Examples from the Web for zaffre

Historical Examples of zaffre

Zaffre is now made from the cobalt ores found in these hills.
The Mosaic History of the Creation of the World
Thomas Wood
The first practical use of cobalt was in the form of zaffre or cobalt blue.
De Re Metallica
Georgius Agricola
Zaffre is the roasted mineral ground with sand, while smalt, a term used more frequently, is the fused mixture with sand.
De Re Metallica
Georgius Agricola
A little oxide of cobalt or zaffre is frequently added to alter the shade.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
Zaffre, digested in aqua regia, and diluted with four times its weight of water, is sometimes employed; a green tint results.
The Short-story
William Patterson Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for zaffre

zaffer

zaffre

noun

impure cobalt oxide, used to impart a blue colour to enamels

Word Origin for zaffer

C17: from Italian zaffera; perhaps related to Latin sapphīrus sapphire

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