verdigris
(ˈvɜːdɪgrɪs)
Forms: α. 4 verdegrez, 4–6 -gres(e, 5 -greys, 7 -gresse, -griese, 7–8 -grease; 5–6 verdegrece, 6–7 -greace, 7–8 -greece; 6–9 verdigrease, 6 -grese, 6–8 -greese (7 verdie-), 6 verdigrece, 7 -greace, -greece; 6 verdygresse, -grace, 7 virdigreace, -greese. β. 4 vertegrez, 5–6 -grece (5 vertagrece, 6 verthigreace), 5 vertgrez, -grees, 6 -grese, -gresse, 7 -greece. γ. 5 vert de grece, 7 vertdegrease. δ. 6, 8–9 verdegris (6 verddegris), 7–9 verdigrise, 8– verdigris. ε. 6 vargrasse, vergres(se (wer-), vergrys, Sc. vern-, varngris.
[a. AF. and OF. vert de Grece (c 1170), OF. verte grez (13th c.), vert de grice (1314), vert-de-gris (15th c.; also mod.F.), lit. ‘green of Greece’: see vert n.1 Cf. med.L. viride grecum (14–15th c.). The terminal syllable at an early date was no longer understood and hence underwent various corruptions of spelling and pronunciation.]
1. A green or greenish blue substance obtained artificially by the action of dilute acetic acid on thin plates of copper (or a green rust naturally forming on copper and brass), and much used as a pigment, in dyeing, the arts, and medicine; basic acetate of copper.
| α 1336–7 Ely Sacr. Rolls (1907) II. 92 In ij libris dim. de verdegrez empt., ijs. vd. c 1386 Chaucer Chanon Yeom. Prol. & T. 791 (Corpus), Ȝit wol I telle hem,..As boole armonyak, Verdegres, Boras. 1417 in For. Acc. 8 Hen. V, D j/2 Vermelone, Coperos, Verdegres, Vernysshe. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 619 Viride grecum, verdegrece. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. xix. xxxviii. 879 In the same wyse as Cerusa is verdegreys made,..and comyth of vapour of stronge vyneygre shed vpon plates of brasse. 1532 in E. Law Hampton Crt. Pal. (1885) 363, 3 sackes of verdygrace conteynyng 23 lb. 1582 Batman Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. Add. 259 Verdigrese, which as it is a colour for Painters, so it is a fretting poison. 1626 Bacon Sylva §291 Metalls give Orient and Fine Colours..in their Putrefactions or Rusts; as Vermilion, Verdegrease, Bise. 1681 Grew Musæum iii. iii. i. 341 A sort of Native Verdegriese, from the Copper-Mines of Herngrundt. 1691 Patent Specif. No. 270, Verdigrease being a commodity of great vse in this our realme, especially for painting and dying, and never hitherto made here. c 1720 W. Gibson Farrier's Dispens. ii. iii. (1734) 97 The Verdigrease which is made by the pressings of the Wine put upon plates of Copper. 1758 Ann. Reg. 292 That their process in salt-making would dissolve the surface of the copper, into verdigreese. 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. i. iii. 107 The head of a Roman spear..of brass..and..encrusted with verdigrease. |
| β 1300–1 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 502 In vertegrez, melle, atramento. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 791 (Ellesm.), Boole armonyak, vertgrees, Boras. a 1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. 82 Wax and oile..dulle þe scharpnez of vertgrese, and vertgrese represseþ þeir putrefaccion and humeccacion. 1487–8 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 412 Pro xj li. de colore viridi, anglice, vertagrece, xs. xd. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 151 [Turpentine] is good for lepres, wyth vert gresse. 1573 Art of Limming 6 To temper Vertgrese, called Spanishe greene. 1612 Peacham Gentl. Exerc. 82 Vert-greece is nothing else but the rust of brasse. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Verd-grease or vert-greece. |
| γ c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 257 Take hony..& þan do þerto ᵹ .ij. of vert de grece. 1674 Vertdegrease [see 2]. |
| δ 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Aerugo,..verd degris: the rust of brasse either artificiall or naturall. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 196 Gladyn pounde with a little Verdegris..draweth forth al kindes of thornes. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 471 This is altogither artificiall, and is made of Cyprian verdegris or rust of brasse. 1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade-m. ii. §4 (1689) 9 Half a Pound of green Copperas, [and] as much Verdigrise. 1757 Dyer Fleece i. 279 Corrosive drugs..Dry allum, verdigrise, or vitriole keen. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 378 Here is a brassy scent in the air as of verdigris. 1819 Shelley Œdipus ii. i. 76 Scorpions are green, and water-snakes, and efts, And verdigris. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1273 Verdigris is a mixture of the crystallized acetate of copper and the sub-acetate, in varying proportions. 1853 Royle Mat. Med. (ed. 2) 172 ærugo or Verdigris must have been early known, from the employment of Copper vessels. |
| ε 1505–6 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 187 For tua pund verngreis to him, xij s. 1506 Ibid. 193, vj pund varngreis. 1531–2 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 65 Pro duabus libris ly wergresse, ijs. 1595 Shuttleworths' Acc. (Chetham Soc.) 103 For vargrasse to dresse the oxe feete. |
b. transf. (See
quots.)
rare.
| 1608 Topsell Serpents 186 There is no part of the Frog so medicinable as is the bloud... The same also being made into a Verdigreace, & drunke [etc.]. [1844 Hood The Turtles 116 He mention'd Aldermen deceased,..And speculated on that verdigrease That isn't poison.] |
c. With qualifying
adjs. (see
quots.).
| 1747 Wesley Prim. Physick (1762) 91 One or two Drams of distill'd Verdigrease. 1755 Dict. Arts & Sci. s.v., These are the crystals of verdegrease, improperly called distilled verdegrease. 1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. II. 339 Crystallized verdigrise or acetite of copper. 1855 J. Scoffern Elem. Chem. 490 Neutral acetate of copper is known popularly by the absurd term distilled verdigris. 1863 Watts Dict. Chem. I. 14 The bibasic salt or blue verdigris is prepared at Montpellier. Ibid. 15 Green Verdigris. |
2. attrib., as
verdigris blue,
verdigris colour,
verdigris water;
verdigris green, a green of a bright, bluish hue; æruginous green.
| 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. iii. i. 129 His skin became of a Verdigreese or yellow-green colour. 1674 W. Leybourn Compl. Surveyor 311 Vertdegrease water and yellow berry water make a transparent Green. 1758 in Dodsley Fug. Pieces (1761) II. 84 The Unwholesomeness of the Rust and Verdegrease Suffusions. 1796 Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) I. 28 Verdigris green—that [colour] in which no shade of yellow is perceptible, rather bluish. 1805–17 R. Jameson Char. Min. (ed. 3) 67 Verdigris-green is emerald-green mixed with much Berlin-blue, and a little white. 1832 T. Brown Bk. Butterflies & M. (1834) I. 213 A rich verdigris blue, of fine satiny lustre. 1896 G. M. Stisted True Life Sir R. F. Burton ii. 31 That leek-like verdigris green which one associates only with early spring in the temperate zone. |
Hence
ˈverdigrisy a., of the colour of verdigris.
| 1897 C. Morley Stud. Board Schools 193 Can that bit of verdigrisy green be dried salt? |