aqua re·gi·a
(rē′jē-ə, rē′jə)n.
A corrosive, fuming, volatile mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids, used for testing metals and dissolving platinum and gold. Also called nitrohydrochloric acid.
[New Latin aqua rēgia : Latin aqua, water + Latin rēgia, feminine of rēgius, royal (because it dissolves gold, the "royal metal").]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
aqua regia
(ˈriːdʒɪə)n
(Elements & Compounds) a yellow fuming corrosive mixture of one part nitric acid and three to four parts hydrochloric acid, used in metallurgy for dissolving metals, including gold. Also called: nitrohydrochloric acid
[C17: from New Latin: royal water; referring to its use in dissolving gold, the royal metal]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
aq′ua re′gi•a
(ˈri dʒi ə)n.
a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids used to dissolve precious metals.
[1600–10; < New Latin: literally, royal water]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  aqua regia - a yellow fuming corrosive mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid that dissolves metals (including gold)acid - any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt |
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