Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun worthless residue, useless substance
- noun Cardinal purple, a variety of haematite iron oxide pigment
Etymologies
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From the Latin.
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Examples
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bilby commented on the word caput mortuum
In alchemy,
Caput Mortuum
(alternately called nigredo)
signified a useless substance left over from a
chemical operation such as
sublimation
and the epitome of
decline and decay;
alchemists represented this residue with a
stylized human skull,
a literal
death's head.
- Wikipedia
June 6, 2012