Lackmus
German
Etymology
From Dutch lakmoes, from Middle Dutch lecmoes, a compound of the cognates of German lecken (“to leak”) and Mus (“mush”). The former was later adapted to Dutch lak, German Lack (“varnish”). It seems obvious that there is a relation between Middle Dutch lecmoes and synonymous Old Norse litmosi (whence English litmus), but the nature of this relation is unsettled.
Pronunciation
Noun
Lackmus m or n (genitive Lackmus, no plural)
- litmus (dyestuff)