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Glite Dictionary
oxgall

oxgall

1 9.9
A liquid from an ox's gallbladder that helps watercolors spread and removes grease
  • noun
  • /ˈɑksˌɡɔl/
  • Specialized
: bilis de buey
  • He purchased a bottle of oxgall for his painting supplies at the art store.

Examples

  • The artist added a drop of oxgall to her watercolors to help them spread smoothly.

  • Traditional cleaning methods sometimes use oxgall to remove stubborn grease stains from fabrics.

  • The artist uses oxgall to enhance her watercolors.

  • Can you pass me the oxgall from the shelf?

  • In watercolor painting, adding oxgall to the mixture helps the paint flow smoothly on the paper.

  • Artists often use oxgall to improve the absorbency of watercolor paper for better color application.

  • To clean greasy brushes, many painters recommend using oxgall as an effective cleaning agent.

Surface Forms

oxgall singular
oxgalls plural

Morphology

oxgall = ox + gall (transparent) = ox + gall

Literal compound of 'ox' + 'gall' meaning the bile of an ox; if learners know both components, they can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Oxgall is made of ox and gall, and gall means 'bile', the bitter liquid from the gallbladder. Artists and cleaners used oxgall to help watercolors spread and to remove grease, so the name tells you what it is and why it was useful.