cudbear

9.9

A purple dye made from certain lichens used to color cloth

noun
/ˈkʌdˌbɛr/

Archaic

: cudbear

The weaver used cudbear to produce a rich purple hue in the wool fabric.

Examples

In the 18th century, cudbear became a popular dye for coloring textiles in Scotland.
After extracting the cudbear, the artisan carefully applied the dye to achieve an even color.
The artisan used cudbear to dye the fabric.
Many artists prefer cudbear for its rich color.
In the 18th century, cudbear became a popular dye for coloring textiles in Scotland.
After extracting the cudbear, the artisan carefully applied the dye to achieve an even color.
The weaver used cudbear to produce a rich purple hue in the wool fabric.

Synonyms

orchil

vscudbear

Archaic

9.9

A purple dye made from lichens to color cloth

is a more specific purplish dye made from particular lichens

archil

vscudbear

Specialized

9.9

A purple dye made from certain lichens that grow on rocks and trees

is a purplish dye described generally for textile use, not focused on lichen genera

Surface Forms

cudbear singular

cudbears plural

Etymology

The word cudbear names a purple dye made from certain lichens. One popular story says the name comes from a man who sold the dye, but a helpful way to remember it is to think of cud 'chewed food' because the lichen was crushed and left to soak to make the purple color, so cudbear means that purple dye.