litharge
(ˈlɪθɑːdʒ)
Forms: α. 4–6 litarge, 5–6 lytarge, 6 lethargy, lytherge, 6–7 litargy, littarge, 7 lithargie, -y, lytharge, (littorage, lytoridge, lyturgy), 8 litargie, letharge, litherage, (liturge), 5– litharge. β5 litargirij, 6 lithargirye, lythurgyry, 7 lithargiry.
[a. or ad. OF. litarge, litargire (F. litharge), ad. L. lithargyrus, a. Gr. λιθάργυρος, f. λίθ-ος stone + ἄργυρος silver. The βforms are from the mod.L. derivative litargirium, -ia.]
1. Protoxide of lead (PbO) prepared by exposing melted lead to a current of air. † Also litharge of lead.
| 1322 in Wardr. Acc. Edw. II 23/20 Litarge 4d. per lb. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 222 Oure grounden litarge eek in the P[o]rfurie. 1477 Norton Ord. Alch. iii. in Ashm. (1652) 41 Then we name it our grounde Litharge. 1563 T. Gale Antidot. ii. 49 Take Litarge of leide in fyne pouder. 1674 Ray Collect. Words, Smelting Silver 114 When the furnace is come to a true temper of heat the Lead converted into Litharge is cast off. 1707 Curios. in Husb. & Gard. 325 Lead being..burnt into Litargie, retakes also its first Form..if a Lixiviate Salt be..applied to it. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chem. I. 389 Pure Lead, being exposed to a strong fire without any additament, turns to Litharge. 1860 Piesse Lab. Chem. Wonders 155 Put a few grains of litharge before the blowpipe flame. |
† b. litharge of gold: a name given to litharge when coloured red by mixture of red lead.
litharge of silver: a name given to it as being a by-product in the separation of silver from lead.
litharge of bismuth: ? a similar product obtained by the oxidation of bismuth.
Obs.| c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 99 Take..litarge of gold, litarge of siluir ᵹ. viii. 1578 Lyte Dodoens vi. lxxxvii. 771 To be pound with the lytarge of sylver and frankencense. 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. l. 269 The iuice mixed with oile of roses, ceruse, and littarge of golde, and applied [etc.]. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 304 The very root of the right Nard..is mingled..with Litharge of siluer, Antimony, or the rind of Cyperus. 1639 T. de la Grey Compl. Horsem. 208 Take lyturgy of gold and lyturgy of silver..mix well the lyturgys. 1718 Quincy Compl. Disp. (1719) 212 Lythargyrus Auri, Litharge of Gold. It generally is call'd thus for its Colour sake. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl., Artificial Litharge, which is of two kinds, viz. that of gold, and that of silver; or rather it is the same, with this difference, that the one has undergone a greater degree of fire than the other. 1796 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) II. 489 Litharge of Bismuth. |
† 2. Used as equivalent to
white lead or
red lead (see
lead n.1 2).
| 1551 Turner Herbal i. M j, The iuice of Coriandre with whyte lede or lythurgyry and vinegre. 1660 Howell Lexicon, Litargie, or white Lead. 1683 Pettus Fleta Min. i. (1686) 26 Of these pibble-stones take one part, and half a part of red Littorage or Littarge..and hete it well. 1796 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) II. 368 Litharge or Red Lead. 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. II. 64 If you expose to heat in a crucible red oxide of lead or litharge. |
3. attrib., as
litharge-furnace;
litharge-plaster ?
= diachylon;
litharge-way, the opening in a reverberatory furnace through which the litharge flows in the fining of silver.
| 1887 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 26 We canvassed the..necessity of erecting a *litharge furnace. |
| 1784 M. Underwood Dis. Children (1799) III. 94 Small pieces of the *litharge-plaster may be applied. 1889 Syd. Soc. Lex., Litharge plaster, the Emplastrum plumbi. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XI. 464/2 This blast..throws the litharge that is not imbibed by the test towards a channel, called the *litharge-way, through which it flows. |