terra alba
- noun
- Specialized
:
terra alba
- The artist used terra alba to create a soft white background.
Examples
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Manufacturers use terra alba as a filler in making paper and paint.
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Many potters prefer terra alba for its fine texture.
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Terra alba is valued in the food industry for its whiteness and purity.
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The artist mixed terra alba with oils to achieve a brighter pigment.
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Manufacturers use terra alba as a filler in making paper and paint.
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The artist mixed terra alba with oils to achieve a brighter pigment.
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Many potters prefer terra alba for its fine texture.
Synonyms
1
9.0
A fine white clay used to make pottery and paper
A fine white clay that people use to make ceramics and paper and to absorb liquids
A fine white powder from the ground used for pottery and paper
Fine white clay used to make porcelain and other ceramics
A fine white clay made when rocks break down and used to make pottery and as a filler
A fine white clay used to make tobacco pipes, pottery or to whiten leather
A white powder used to make paint and block harmful sun rays in sunscreen
Surface Forms
Morphology
terra + alba
The phrase literally combines terra (earth) + alba (white) to yield 'white earth,' so the meaning 'a fine white powder used as a pigment/filler' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'alba' is Latin-derived and not common in everyday English, a B1 learner who knows both elements (or their Latin-derived meanings) can transparently infer the MWE's sense.
Etymology
Terra alba comes from the Latin words terra and alba, which mean 'white earth'. Long ago people dug this bright white soil and ground it into a fine powder to make paint and to whiten things, so today terra alba means a fine white powder used as a pigment or filler.