litmus paper

An unsized white paper impregnated with litmus and used as a pH or acid-base indicator.

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.

lit′mus pa`per

a strip of paper impregnated with litmus, used as a chemical indicator.

[1795–1805]

litmus paper

Paper impregnated with litmus, a lichen-derived powder that changes color according to the acidity or basicity of a substance it comes into contact with. Litmus paper is thus used to test for acidity or basicity.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

litmus paper - unsized paper treated with litmus for use as an acid-base indicator

litmus, litmus test - a coloring material (obtained from lichens) that turns red in acid solutions and blue in alkaline solutions; used as a very rough acid-base indicator

paper - a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

Translations

cartina al tornasole

litmus paper

n → Lackmuspapier nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

litmus paper

[ˈlɪtməsˌpeɪpəʳ] n (also) (fig) → cartina al tornasole

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

He dropped a piece of litmus paper into an acid, when it changed instantly to red, and on floating it in an alkali it turned as quickly to blue.

"The litmus paper is still the litmus paper," he enunciated in the formal manner of the lecturer.

View in context

Gigs are the litmus paper and I'm constantly refining my set to ensure it's totally up to speed with "now".

Judge Jules to play in Abu Dhabi this weekend

What colour does litmus paper turn in an acid solution?

QUIZ

'In the absence of litmus paper, for instance, we use eggplants to test acidity; instead of looking through a microscope, we print photographs for our students,' he said.

Abra school gets new equipment for science lab

Observing farmers using test tubes, litmus paper, sample soil and a soil-testing kit from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management reminded me of my high-school chemistry class and the fact that there's a lot more involved in food production than picking up that bag of organic lettuce in the weekend market.

How does your garden grow?

A spokesman added: "Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and chemical protection suits checked over the suspected leaking cylinder using litmus paper.

Man is burned in factory gas leak; health and safety watchdogs launch inquiry after toxic chemical escapes

Mineral oil should be used for initial wound irrigation, the authors advise, and "surgical debridement is the definitive treatment for injuries and should remove any remaining alkaline material from tissues." Delay use of water-based irrigation until after surgical debridement, and one report suggests probing the wound with litmus paper to ensure the pH is no longer alkaline prior to using water irrigation.

Exploding e-cigs can cause grievous injuries

pH test strips are advanced versions of litmus paper. They're more accurate than litmus paper because they have several color spots on each strip.

How Accurate are pH Soil Testers?

Test with litmus paper, which you can buy cheaply in art and craft shops.

TAKE ACID TEST; Knowing the pH level of your soil is vital when you are planning which plants to grow next year

You can test with litmus paper, which you can buy cheaply in art and craft shops.

Tried and acid tested; Knowing the pH of your soil is vital when you are planning which plants to grow next year

Its support for the Kurdish referendum is a litmus paper by which to understand Israel's approach to the region.

Israel beats the drums of war