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blanc fixe

blanc fixe

9.9
A white solid powder used as a pigment and filler in paint and paper
  • noun
  • /blɑ̃k fɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : blanco fijo
  • The artist added blanc fixe to her oil paints to achieve a brighter white.

Examples

  • Manufacturers often use blanc fixe as a filler in glossy paper products.

  • Modern laboratory procedures require pure blanc fixe for certain chemical analyses.

  • The artist prefers to use blanc fixe for its opacity.

  • Can you buy some blanc fixe for the project?

  • Manufacturers often use blanc fixe as a filler in glossy paper products.

  • The artist added blanc fixe to her oil paints to achieve a brighter white.

  • Modern laboratory procedures require pure blanc fixe for certain chemical analyses.

Synonyms

barium sulfate
vsblanc fixe
  • Specialized
5.2

A white powder used in paint, in industry, and to help X-rays show the inside of the body

is used mainly as a pigment for paints and paper, not general industry

Surface Forms

blanc fixe singular
blanc fixés plural

Morphology

blanc + fixe

The French components 'blanc' (white) and 'fixe' (fixed/permanent) allow a learner who knows the constituents to infer a general sense of a permanent or stable white substance (i.e., a white pigment). However, the precise technical properties (insoluble, radiopaque, barium sulfate) and the specialized usage are not predictable from the parts alone and the term is a loanword used in technical contexts, so the relation is only partial.

Etymology

Blanc fixe comes from French words blanc 'white' and fixe 'fixed'. It is a white powder that does not dissolve or wash away, so it stays in paint and paper, and the name explains its modern meaning as a lasting white pigment.