▪ I. columbin Electr.
(kəˈlʌmbɪn)
[A transferred use of F. colombin ‘baisin dans lequel se met la composition de la fritte du faïencier’ (Littré).]
An insulating material used for connecting the sockets of the electric (Jablochkoff) candle.
(Formerly made of pieces of baked kaolin; now of a mixture of calcium and barium sulphates.)
| 1882 Dredge Electr. Illum. I. 516 The utility of the insulator lies in a sensible reduction in the amount of power absorbed. The ‘columbin’ gives a definite increase of light for a given power. |
▪ II. columbin(e
var. of calumbin: see calumba.
| 1842 E. Turner Elem. Chem. (ed. 7) 1121 Columbine. 1875 H. Wood Therap. (1879) 57 Columbin, a bitter neutral principle crystallizing in rhomboid prisms or needles. |