yellow prussiate of potash

9.9

A yellow salt that forms crystals and is used to make color for paints and keep powders from clumping

noun

Archaic

: prusiato amarillo de potasio

Historically, yellow prussiate of potash was used in the production of pigments and dyes.

Examples

Gardeners sometimes add yellow prussiate of potash to fertilizers as an anticaking agent.
The artist used yellow prussiate of potash to create vibrant pigments.
Be careful when handling yellow prussiate of potash, as it is a chemical compound.
Can you explain what yellow prussiate of potash is?
Gardeners sometimes add yellow prussiate of potash to fertilizers as an anticaking agent.
Historically, yellow prussiate of potash was used in the production of pigments and dyes.
The artist used yellow prussiate of potash to create vibrant pigments.

Synonyms

potassium ferrocyanide

vsyellow prussiate of potash

Specialized

9.9

A yellow chemical in small crystals that contains cyanide and is used in industry and gardening

has identical chemical meaning but is the traditional name in pigment and food contexts

Surface Forms

yellow prussiate of potash singular

yellow prussiates of potash plural

Morphology

yellow + prussiate + of + potash

The phrase is a literal, descriptive chemical name formed from a colour adjective + a chemical class ('prussiate') + the base/source ('of potash' = potassium compound). If a learner knows the constituent meanings (including the technical term 'prussiate' as a type of salt), the overall sense — a yellow potassium salt used in pigments — is directly derivable and not idiomatic.

Etymology

Yellow prussiate of potash comes from prussiate, a word linked to the blue pigment 'Prussian blue', and from potash, an old word for 'potassium'. Because this yellow salt was used to make dyes and pigments, the name stuck, and today it refers to a yellow potassium salt used in pigments and to stop powders from clumping.