alizarin

a·liz·a·rin   (ə-lĭz'ər-ĭn)    n.  An orange-red crystalline compound, C14H6O2(OH)2, used in making dyes. [French alizarine, from alizari, madder root, from Spanish, probably from Arabic al-'uṣāra, the juice : al-, the + 'uṣāra, juice (from 'aṣara, to squeeze; see ʕṣr in Semitic roots).]

Main Entry: aliz·a·rin
Pronunciation: &-'liz-&-r&n
Variant: also aliz·a·rine /-r&n, -"rEn/
Function:noun
1 : an orange or red crystalline compound C₁₄H₈O₄ formerly prepared from madder and now made synthetically from anthraquinone that wasformerly used in dyeing but is now used more in making red pigments
2 : any of a group of dyes that are similar to alizarin in dyeing properties or derivation

alizarin a·liz·a·rin (ə-lĭz'ər-ĭn)
n.
An orange-red crystalline compound used in making dyes and as an indicator.

alizarin

a red dye originally obtained from the root of the common madder plant, Rubia tinctorum, in which it occurs combined with the sugars xylose and glucose. The cultivation of madder and the use of its ground root for dyeing by the complicated Turkey red process were known in ancient India, Persia, and Egypt; the use spread to Asia Minor about the 10th century and was introduced into Europe in the 13th.

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