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Alum
Definitions
- 1 An astringent salt, usually occurring in the form of pale crystals, much used in the dyeing and tanning trade and in certain medicines, and now understood to be a double sulphate of potassium and aluminium (K₂SO₄·Al₂(SO₄)₃·24H₂O). countable, uncountable
"Venice also needed alum for trade, since it was the point of departure for overland transportation of alum to southern Germany and its cloth-manufacturing Free Cities."
- 2 A past attendee or graduate (of any gender) of a college, university or other educational institution. Canada, US
"1961 Spring, Anchora of Delta Gamma, Volume LXXVII, No. 3, page 59, Evanston-North Shore alums are happy to open their homes to Sigma actives for special social events."
- 3 a double sulphate of aluminum and potassium that is used as an astringent (among other things) wordnet
- 4 Any similar double sulphate in which either or both of the potassium and aluminium is wholly or partly replaced by other univalent or tervalent cations. countable, uncountable
"With weld and cochineal, which are colouring matters the most sensible to the action of sulphate of iron, the purified alums gave us colours more brilliant, fresh, and in a slight degree lighter; while those with our common alums were all duller, and evidently of a deeper hue."
- 5 a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) wordnet
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- 6 a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminum wordnet
- 7 a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum wordnet
- 1 To steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum. transitive
"The silk should be boiled at the rate of 20 parts of soap per cent. , and then alumed. The aluming need not be so strong as for the fine crimson"
Etymology
From Middle English alum, alum, alym, alyme, from Anglo-Norman alum, alun, from Latin alūmen.
From Middle English alum, alum, alym, alyme, from Anglo-Norman alum, alun, from Latin alūmen.
Clipping of alumnus and alumna (> alumn- > alum), by the removal of the originally Latin gender-specific nominative singular case endings -us (masculine) and -a (feminine).
See also for "alum"
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