orchil (redirected from orchils)

or·chil  (ôrkl, -chl) also ar·chil (är-)

n.

1. Any of several lichens, chiefly of the genera Roccella and Lecanora, from which a dye is obtained.

2. The violet dyestuff obtained from any of these organisms.

---

[Middle English orchell, ultimately from Old Catalan orxella, perhaps of Mozarabic origin.]

---

orchil [ˈɔːkɪl -tʃɪl], archil

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any of various lichens, esp any of the genera Roccella, Dendrographa, and Lecanora

2. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Dyeing) Also called cudbear a purplish dye obtained by treating these lichens with aqueous ammonia: contains orcinol, orcein, and litmus

[from Old French orcheil, of uncertain origin]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	orchil - a purplish dye obtained from orchil lichens archil, cudbear dye, dyestuff - a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair
	2.	orchil - any of various lecanoras that yield the dye archil archil genus Lecanora - type genus of Lecanoraceae; crustaceous lichens lecanora - any lichen of the genus Lecanora; some used in dyeing; some used for food