bluing

or blue·ing

[ bloo-ing ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a substance, as indigo, used to whiten clothes or give them a bluish tinge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bluing¹

First recorded in 1660–70; blue + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Two or three squeezes of a bluing ball, or a teaspoonful of liquid bluing is often a sufficient quantity for a tub of water.

From Project Gutenberg

The bluing, consists in heating the piece till its copper or brass colour changes to blue.

From Project Gutenberg

Bluing is used to neutralize the slightly yellowish tint of the fabric, when it cannot be completely bleached.

From Project Gutenberg

The colour reminds one of his boyhood when he interviewed the bluing water in the family wash-tub.

From Project Gutenberg

Dan was formerly a peddler of various kinds of flavoring extracts, ink and bluing.

From Project Gutenberg