orpiment
UK /ˈɔːpɪmənt/ · US /ˈɔɹpəmənt/ noun
Forms orpiments auripigment
- noun Arsenic trisulphide, occurring naturally in crystals or massive deposits, formerly used as a dye or pigment.
Etymology
From Middle English orpyment, from Old French orpiment, from Latin auripigmentum (“orpiment”), from aurum (“gold”) + pigmentum (“pigment”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Arsenic sesquisulphide, produced artificially as an amorphous lemonyellow powder, and occurring naturally as a yellow crystalline mineral; --formerly called auripigment. It is used in king's yellow, in white Indian fire, and in certain technical processes, as indigo printing.
Etymology [F., fr. L. auripigmentum; aurum gold + pigmentum pigment. Cf. Aureate, Pigment, Orpin, Orpine.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “orpiment”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details