orchil
Any of several lichens, especially those of the genera Roccella and LecanoraAny of several lichens, especially those of the genera Roccella and Lecanora.
Meaning
2 senses(countable, uncountable)Any of several lichens, especially those of the genera Roccella and Lecanora.
(countable, uncountable)The purple dye, orcein, extracted from them (especially Lecanora tartarea) and often used as substitute for Tyrian purple.
- a purplish dye obtained from orchil lichens
- any of various lecanoras that yield the dye archil
Translations
4 languagesOrigin
From Middle English orchell, from Old French orchel, orseil, from Old Catalan orxella (infFrom Middle English orchell, from Old French orchel, orseil, from Old Catalan orxella (influenced by dialectal Arabic [script needed] ('urjālla)), from Italian oricello, from Latin ōricilla, diminutive of ōricula (variant of auricula), both diminutives of auris (“ear”)) + illa (a double diminutive suffix) or from auris (“ear”) + cula + illa. The name of the dye was influenced by the visual resemblance of the lichen used in production to a small ear.
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Forms
plural: orchilsSynonyms
6 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable