lampblack

English

Alternative forms

• lamp-black

Etymology

From lamp +‎ black.

Noun

lampblack (countable and uncountable, plural lampblacks)

1. An amorphous form of carbon made from incompletely burned organic matter; used to make pigments and inks.
   • 1846, editorial staff, CHEMISTRY in "Scientific American", series 1, Volume 2, Issue 13, page 102

     This Messrs. Greener and Straite allege they have effected by taking a quantity of lampblack or powdered charcoal, or of powdered coke, and which has been purified, by the action of electricity from sulphur and any other mixtures, and digesting the same in diluted nitro-muriatic acid.

   • 1906, James George Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, volume 2, page 261:

     A smudge of lampblack is made on his forehead to disfigure him and thus avert the evil eye.

Translations

form of carbon

• Bulgarian: сажди (bg) f pl (saždi)
• Finnish: noki (fi)
• French: noir de fumée (fr) m
• Ido: fumonigro (io)
• Irish: smúrabhán m, dubh súiche m
• Latin: fūlīgō f
• Polish: barwnik sadzowy m
• Romanian: chinoroz (ro) n
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: ایس (is), قوروم (kurum)

Verb

lampblack (third-person singular simple present lampblacks, present participle lampblacking, simple past and past participle lampblacked)

1. (transitive) To blacken (something) using this form of carbon.
   • 1676 December 11 (first performance), [William] Wycherley, The Plain-Dealer. A Comedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for James Magnes and Rich[ard] Bentley […], published 1677, →OCLC, Act III, page 42:

     Gadsbodkins, you puny Upſtart in the Law, to uſe me ſo, you Green Bag Carrier, you Murderer of unfortunate Cauſes, the Clerks Ink is ſcarce off of your fingers, you that newly come from Lamblacking the Judges ſhooes, and are not fit to wipe mine; […]