orceille
|or-ceille|
🇺🇸
/ɔrˈseɪ/
🇬🇧
/ɔːˈseɪ/
purple dye from lichen
Etymology
'orceille' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'orceille' (Old French), where a Medieval Latin form such as 'orceola' or 'orsea' referred to a dye (so the root was associated with a dye or pigment).
'orceille' changed from Medieval Latin forms like 'orsea' and Old French 'orceille' and eventually entered English as the borrowing 'orceille' (used in historical/technical contexts).
Initially, it meant 'a dye or the lichen yielding a dye', and over time it has remained associated with that dye but has become an obscure or specialized term in modern English.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a purple or reddish dye obtained from certain species of lichens (also called orchil); the dye produced from those lichens.
The fabric was dyed with orceille to achieve a rich purple hue.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the lichen or lichenous material that yields the orceille dye; the raw material used for producing the dye.
Chemists analysed the orceille gathered from coastal rocks used by medieval dyers.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/11 09:10