orpiment

/'ɔ:pimənt/

Thân thiện

A geologist carefully examines a piece of orpiment in the field.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A yellow mineral: A naturally occurring, bright yellow mineral composed primarily of arsenic trisulfide (As₂S₃). It is often found in association with the red mineral realgar and is a significant ore of arsenic.
   • A pigment: Historically, the powdered mineral was used as a brilliant yellow pigment in painting and decoration, though it is highly toxic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The geologist identified the vibrant yellow vein in the rock as orpiment.
  • Medieval artists sometimes used orpiment to create luminous yellows, unaware of its dangerous arsenic content.

Advanced Usage

• In mineralogy: The term is used specifically for the monoclinic crystalline form of arsenic trisulfide. It is noted for its perfect cleavage and resinous to pearly luster.
  • Under UV light, some samples of orpiment may exhibit fluorescence.

Variants and Related Words

• Realgar (n): A red arsenic sulfide mineral (As₄S₄ or AsS) frequently found in the same geological environments as orpiment.
• Arsenic (n): A brittle, grayish-white metalloid element (As), for which orpiment is an ore.
• Auripigmentum (n): The Latin origin of the word "orpiment," meaning "golden pigment."

Synonyms

• Arsenic trisulfide: The chemical name for the compound.
• King's yellow: A historical name for the pigment made from orpiment.

Related Phrases

• Associated with realgar: A common phrase in geology describing the frequent co-occurrence of these two arsenic sulfide minerals.
  • The deposit contained orpiment associated with realgar in a classic hydrothermal vein.

Related Idioms

(No common idioms are directly based on this specific mineralogical term.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. a yellow mineral occurring in conjunction with realgar; an ore of arsenic