calomel

English

Etymology

From French calomel.

Noun

calomel (countable and uncountable, plural calomels)

1. (inorganic chemistry) mercurous chloride Hg₂Cl₂, formerly used as a laxative and disinfectant and to treat syphilis
   • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 190:

     What a pity there is not some mental calomel! for Mr. Lushington's equanimity was in a bilious fever with Edward Lorraine's appearance of luxurious enjoyment.

   • 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:

     “Where am I?” said the little spectre, in a pathetic voice. “And why was I born in the Calomel days, and why did I have all that Calomel given me?”

Derived terms

• calomel electrode

Translations

mercurous chloride

• Esperanto: kalomelo
• Finnish: kalomeli (fi)
• Italian: calomelano m
• Russian: каломе́ль (ru) f (kalomélʹ)
• Turkish: kalomel (tr)

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Calomel”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “calomel”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.

Anagrams

• Comella

French

Etymology

From calomélas, a compound of Ancient Greek καλός (kalós, “beautiful”) and μέλας (mélas, “black”), likely due to its reaction with ammonia, which produces elemental mercury and yields a dark color.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Noun

calomel m (usually uncountable, plural calomels)

1. (inorganic chemistry) calomel

Further reading

• “calomel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French calomel.

Noun

calomel n (uncountable)

1. calomel

Declension

declension of calomel (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) calomel	calomelul
genitive/dative	(unui) calomel	calomelului
vocative	calomelule