orcein Hear it!

orcein definition

or·cein (ôr′sē in)

noun

a brownish-red, crystalline dye, CHNO, the main coloring matter of orchil, obtained from lichens or by treating orcinol with ammonia, and used as a biological stain, reagent, etc.

Etymology: orc(in) + -e- + -in

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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