ceruse

[ seer-oos, si-roos ]

noun

1. a pigment composed of white lead.

ceruse

/ səˈruːs /

noun

1. another name for white lead

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceruse¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cērussa

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceruse¹

C14: from Old French céruse, from Latin cērussa, perhaps ultimately from Greek kēros wax

Example Sentences

Male members of the court of Louis XIV in France painted on beauty marks, while Elizabethan Englishmen powdered their faces with ceruse, a toxic mixture of vinegar and white lead.

From New York Times

This mixture of lead and vinegar that Elizabeth used was known as Venetian ceruse, or the spirits of Saturn.

From National Geographic

The water used in this preparation contains a portion of the calx suspended by the alkali, and being precipitated by an acid, is called ceruse of antimony.

From Project Gutenberg

A pot of ceruse, my child, that I took out of a lady's under petticoat pocket.

From Project Gutenberg

But art has taught her to supply furrowed deformities with ceruse boxes, and to repair a decayed complexion with an Italian fucus.

From Project Gutenberg