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realgar

 - 3 dictionary results

re⋅al⋅gar

  [ree-al-ger, -gahr]
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–noun
arsenic disulfide, As2S2, found in nature as an orange-red mineral and also produced artificially: used in pyrotechnics.
Also called red orpiment.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < ML realger ≪ Ar rahj al-ghār powder of the mine or cave
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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re·al·gar   (rē-āl'gär', -gər)   
n.  A soft orange-red arsenic ore, As2S2, used in pyrotechnics and tanning and as a pigment.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Catalan, from Arabic rahj al-ġār, powder (of) the mine or cave : rahj, powder + al-, the + ġār, cave; see ġrr in Semitic 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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Encyclopedia

realgar

an important ore of arsenic, a red or orange mineral containing both arsenic and sulfur. Typically it is a minor constituent of ore veins in association with orpiment (into which it disintegrates on long exposure to light). Realgar has been used by the Chinese for carvings, but these also deteriorate under light. It forms prismatic crystals of monoclinic symmetry. For detailed physical properties, see sulfide mineral (table)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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