calcimine
(ˈkælsɪmɪn, -maɪn)
[Later modification of kalsomine, after L. calci-, calx lime + inorganic -m- + -ine4.]
A trade name given to a kind of white or coloured wash for walls.
| 1864 Webster cites Hart. 1885 Spons' Mech. Own Bk. 612 The wash or calcimine can be used for ordinary purposes. 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 299/2 Should the ceilings and walls be calcimined or whitewashed, wash off old calcimine or whitewash. 1903 Westm. Gaz. 23 Jan. 4/3 The old-gold calcimine..that covers the wall of the drawing-room. 1911 H. S. Harrison Queed xi. 134 Sharlee tapped the calcimine with her pointed finger-nails. 1930 T. S. Eliot tr. St.-J. Perse's Anabasis 27 My heart twittered with joy under the glare of the calcimine. 1953 A. Upfield Murder must Wait iii. 19 The faint smear on the cream calsomine. |
Hence ˈcalcimine v., to whitewash; ˈcalciˌminer, a whitewasher, or wall-colourer.
| 1885 Advance (Chicago) 4 June 361 Yesterday the calciminers invaded our dwelling. 1919 Chambers's Jrnl. May 327/1 The quarters were..somewhat garishly calcimined within. 1930 J. Dos Passos 42nd Parallel 300 He was in a small room calsomined bright yellow. |