cudbear
noun
Forms cudbears cudbeard
- noun (historical) A violet-red dye powder, prepared from certain lichens, especially Ochrolechia tartarea.
- noun A rim lichen, crabseye lichen (Ochrolechia tartarea.
Synonyms
Etymology
Corrupted from the name of Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, a Scotsman, who patented the process of manufacture.
Webster’s 1913
- A powder of a violet red color, difficult to moisten with water, used for making violet or purple dye. It is prepared from certain species of lichen, especially Lecanora tartarea. Ure.
- A lichen (Lecanora tartarea), from which the powder is obtained.
Etymology [Also cudbeard, corrupted fr. the name of Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, a Scotchman, who first brought it into notice.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cudbear”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details