alizarin

[ uh-liz-er-in ]

nounChemistry.
  1. a solid appearing reddish-orange as crystals and brownish-yellow as powder, C14H8O4, one of the earliest known dyes, formerly obtained in its natural state from madder and now derived from anthraquinone: used chiefly in the synthesis of other dyes.

Origin of alizarin

1
1825–35; <French alizarine, equivalent to alizar(i) (<Spanish <Arabic al the + ʿaṣārah juice) + -ine-ine1
  • Also a·liz·a·rine [uh-liz-er-in, -uh-reen]. /əˈlɪz ər ɪn, -əˌrin/.

Words Nearby alizarin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alizarin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alizarin

alizarin

/ (əˈlɪzərɪn) /


noun
  1. a brownish-yellow powder or orange-red crystalline solid used as a dye and in the manufacture of other dyes. Formula: C 6 H 4 (CO) 2 C 6 H 2 (OH) 2

Origin of alizarin

1
C19: probably from French alizarine, probably from Arabic al-’asārah the juice, from ’asara to squeeze

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