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ormolu - 4 dictionary results

or⋅mo⋅lu

  [awr-muh-loo]
Use ormolu in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called mosaic gold. an alloy of copper and zinc used to imitate gold.
2. Also called bronze doré, gilt bronze. gilded metal, esp. cast brass or bronze gilded over fire with an amalgam of gold and mercury, used for furniture mounts and ornamental objects.
3. gold or gold powder prepared for use in gilding.
Origin:
1755–65; < F or moulu ground gold, equiv. to or (< L aurum) + moulu, ptp. of moudre to grind < L molere
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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or·mo·lu   (ôr'mə-lōō')   
n.  
  1. Any of several copper and zinc or tin alloys resembling gold in appearance and used to ornament furniture, moldings, architectural details, and jewelry.
  2. An imitation of gold.

[French or moulu : or, gold (from Old French; see or3) + obsolete French molu, past participle of moudre, to grind up (from Old French, from Latin molere; see melə- in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ormolu

Or`mo*lu"\, n. [F. or moulu; or gold (L. aurum) + moulu, p. p. of moudre to grind, to mill, L. molere. See Aureate, and Mill.] A variety of brass made to resemble gold by the use of less zinc and more copper in its composition than ordinary brass contains. Its golden color is often heightened by means of lacquer of some sort, or by use of acids. Called also mosaic gold.

Ormolu varnish, a varnish applied to metals, as brass, to give the appearance of gold.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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ormolu 
"alloy of copper, zinc, and tin, resembling gold," 1765, from Fr. or moulu, lit. "ground gold," from or "gold" (from L. aurum, from PIE *aus- "gold.") + moulu "ground up," pp. of moudre "to grind," from L. molere "to grind."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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