blue-stone

blue-stone

A gardener uses blue-stone to treat the soil in a flower bed.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Copper sulfate: "blue-stone" refers to a blue crystalline compound, copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate, used as a fungicide and in dyeing.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The gardener applied blue-stone to the soil to prevent fungal diseases. (Copper sulfate used as a fungicide.)
    • In chemistry class, we observed the deep blue color of blue-stone crystals. (Copper sulfate pentahydrate.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to treat with blue-stone": to apply copper sulfate for medicinal or agricultural purposes.

    • The old method of treating wooden fences involved soaking them in a solution of blue-stone. (Applying copper sulfate as a preservative.)

  • "blue-stone solution": a liquid mixture of copper sulfate used in horticulture or as a disinfectant.

    • The farmer prepared a blue-stone solution to spray on the grapevines. (A fungicidal mixture.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Bluestone (n, alternative spelling): the same compound, often used in mining or historical contexts.

    • The mineral bluestone was once a common source of copper. (Copper sulfate ore.)

  • Blue vitriol (n, synonym): an older name for copper sulfate.

    • Blue vitriol is another term for blue-stone in industrial chemistry. (Synonym for copper sulfate.)
Synonyms
  • Copper sulfate: the chemical name for the compound.
  • Chalcanthite: the mineral form of copper sulfate pentahydrate.
Related Idioms
  • No common idioms are associated with "blue-stone" in standard English usage.