realgar

[ ree-al-ger, -gahr ]

noun

1. arsenic disulfide, As 2 S 2 , found in nature as an orange-red mineral and also produced artificially: used in pyrotechnics.

realgar

/ rɪˈælɡə /

noun

1. a rare orange-red soft mineral consisting of arsenic sulphide in monoclinic crystalline form. It occurs in Utah and Romania and as a deposit from hot springs. It is an important ore of arsenic and is also used as a pigment. Formula: AsS

Word History and Origins

Origin of realgar¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin realger ≪ Arabic rahj al-ghār powder of the mine or cave

Word History and Origins

Origin of realgar¹

C14: via Medieval Latin from Arabic rahj al-ghar powder of the mine

Example Sentences

I stuck my head inside a cabinet to get a close look at the rocks of the arsenic sulfides realgar and orpiment, blazes of flame orange locked within the crystals.

From The New Yorker

The non-profit Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Orgeon, notes that heavy metals are sometimes present in Chinese herbs from the addition of cinnabar, which contains mercury, and realgar, which contains arsenic.

From Forbes

Beginning in the 1950s, mines and chemical plants mushroomed in the area, which is rich in realgar, or arsenic disulphide.

From Washington Post

The solidified juices, azure, chrysocolla, orpiment, and realgar, also frequently contain gold.

From Project Gutenberg

The combination of sulphur and arsenic, by melting them together, is of a red colour, known by the name of realgal, or realgar.

From Project Gutenberg