smalt
Definition
- Noun:
- A blue glass or pigment: "smalt" refers to a deep blue glass made by fusing silica, potash, and cobalt oxide, used as a pigment in paints, ceramics, and glassmaking.
- A coloring material: It specifically denotes a powdered form of this glass used to impart a vibrant blue hue to various materials.
Usage Examples
- (A blue pigment derived from cobalt-colored glass.)
- (A glass material used for coloring.)
Advanced Usage
"Smalt blue": a descriptive term for the shade of blue produced by smalt pigment.
- The sky in the fresco was painted in a vivid smalt blue. (A specific blue color derived from the pigment.)
"To grind smalt": the process of preparing the pigment by crushing the glass into a fine powder.
- The artisan spent hours grinding smalt to achieve the perfect consistency for the enamel. (The action of powdering the blue glass.)
Variants and Related Words
- Smaltine (n): a variant spelling or related term for smalt, used in some historical texts.
- Smaltite (n): a mineral form of cobalt arsenide, sometimes confused with smalt due to its cobalt content.
- Smaltite was mined for its cobalt, which was used to produce smalt. (A mineral source of the pigment.)
Synonyms
- Cobalt blue: a similar blue pigment made from cobalt compounds.
- Azure: a bright blue color, though not specifically derived from glass.
- Blue frit: an ancient Egyptian blue pigment made from ground glass, analogous to smalt.
Related Idioms