blanc fixe
- noun
- /blɑ̃k fɪk/
- Specialized
- 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
A white powder used in paint, in industry, and to help X-rays show the inside of the body
Surface Forms
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.