a yellowish or reddish, odorless, heavy, earthy, water-insoluble, poisonous solid, PbO, used chiefly in the manufacture of storage batteries, pottery, lead glass, paints, enamels, and inks.
Origin: 1350–1400; earlier litarge, litharge, ME litarge < MF, apocopated var. of litargire < L lithargyrus < Gk lithárgyros spume of silver, equiv. to lith-lith-+ árgyros silver
[led] 
