litmus
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lit·mus
(lĭt′məs)n.
A water-soluble bluish powder derived from certain lichens that changes to red with increasing acidity and to deeper blue with increasing basicity.
[Middle English litemose (of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse litmosi, dyer's herbs litr, color, dye + mosi, bog, moss) and Middle English lykemose (from Middle Dutch lijkmoes, variant of lēcmoes : lēken, to drip + moes, moss).]
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.
litmus
(ˈlɪtməs)n
(Elements & Compounds) a soluble powder obtained from certain lichens. It turns red under acid conditions and blue under basic conditions and is used as an indicator
[C16: perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse litmosi, from litr dye + mosi moss]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
lit•mus
(ˈlɪt məs)n.
a blue coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, esp. Roccella tinctoria, that turns blue in alkaline solution and red in acid solution: widely used as a chemical indicator.
[1495–1505; earlier lytmos < Old Norse litmosi dye-moss =lit- color, dye + mosi moss]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
lit·mus
(lĭt′məs) A colored powder, obtained from certain lichens, that changes to red in an acid solution and to blue in an alkaline solution. ♦ Litmus is typically added to paper to make litmus paper, which is used to determine whether a solution is basic or acidic.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  litmus - a coloring material (obtained from lichens) that turns red in acid solutions and blue in alkaline solutions; used as a very rough acid-base indicatoracid-base indicator - an indicator that changes color on going from acidic to basic solutions litmus paper - unsized paper treated with litmus for use as an acid-base indicator |
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Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
litmus
n → Lackmus m or nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007