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Vinony

litmus

noun

  1. water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens.
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Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈlɪtməs/

noun

Etymology: From Middle English litmose, lytmose, litemose, from Old Norse litmosi (“moss used for dyeing”), from lita (“to dye, stain”) + mosi (“moss”), the former from litr (“colour, dye, blee”), from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz, *wlituz (“appearance, blee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to see”). Cognate with Old English wlite (“appearance, form, brightness, countenance”). More at moss.

  1. A dyestuff extracted from certain lichens, that changes color when exposed to pH levels greater than or less than certain critical levels.
  2. A simple test of acidity in a liquid using litmus, usually in the form of litmus paper.
  3. A simple test of any attribute; a litmus test.