turnsole

[ turn-sohl ]

noun

1. any of several plants regarded as turning with the movement of the sun.
2. heliotrope ( def 2 ).
3. a European plant, Chrozophora tinctoria, of the spurge family, yielding a purple dye.
4. the purple dye prepared from this plant; litmus.

turnsole

/ ˈtɜːnˌsəʊl /

noun

1. any of various plants having flowers that are said to turn towards the sun
2. a euphorbiaceous plant, Croton tinctoria , of the Mediterranean region that yields a purple dye
3. the dye extracted from this plant

Word History and Origins

Origin of turnsole¹

1325–75; Middle English turnesole < Middle French tournesol the dye < Italian tornasole the plant, literally, (it) turns (toward the) sun, on the model of Greek hēliotrópion heliotrope

Word History and Origins

Origin of turnsole¹

C14: from Old French tournesole , from Old Italian tornasole , from tornare to turn + sole sun, from Latin sōl sun

Example Sentences

Ford continues his historical timeline by going into the Renaissance period when “Europeans enjoyed a variety of aromatized, fortified and sweetened wines first called Mulsum, which was liberally flavored with myrrh, then Conditum, which first introduced the idea of changing aromatized wines based on what was in season, then Hippocras, which was wine infused with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, grains of paradise and turnsole.”

From Forbes

Turnsole, turn′sōl, n. a name sometimes given to the Heliotrope and other plants, esp. to the euphorbiaceous Chrozophora tinctoria, from which a deep-purple dye is obtained.

From Project Gutenberg

Distilled water tinged blue with the juice of turnsole becomes red on being impregnated with nitrous air; but by being exposed a week or a fortnight to the common atmosphere, in open and shallow vessels, it recovers its blue colour; though, in that time, the greater part of the water will be evaporated.

From Project Gutenberg

The lower part from a was filled with water tinged blue, or rather purple, with the juice of turnsole, or archil.

From Project Gutenberg

As it comes to us from the West Indies, it changes the infusion of turnsole to a beautiful green, probably owing to the salt, which is always added to it, and the red oxide of lead, with which it is said to be adulterated.”

From Project Gutenberg