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Glite Dictionary
🟣 A purple dye 🌿 A dye lichen
orchil

orchil

9.9
A purple dye made from lichens to color cloth
  • noun
  • /ˈɔr.kɪl/
  • Archaic
: orquílea
  • In ancient times, orchil was highly valued for dyeing fabrics.

Examples

  • She studied the process of making natural orchil dyes in her chemistry class.

  • The artist used orchil to create vibrant colors.

  • In medieval Europe, fabrics were often dyed using orchil extracted from lichens.

  • The distinctive color of the tapestry was achieved with orchil.

  • In medieval Europe, fabrics were often dyed using orchil extracted from lichens.

  • The distinctive color of the tapestry was achieved with orchil.

  • In ancient times, orchil was highly valued for dyeing fabrics.

Synonyms

cudbear
vsorchil
  • Archaic
9.9

A purple dye made from certain lichens used to color cloth

is a general purple dye from lichens historically used for textiles
archil
vsorchil
  • Specialized
9.9

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

is a broader historic dye term not tied to named lichen genera

Surface Forms

orchil singular
orchils plural

Etymology

Orchil comes from an old name archil for a purple dye made from certain lichens, a word that probably came into English through Mediterranean sea trade. So, orchil means the violet or purple dye produced from those lichens.