zaffer
(redirected from zaffre)Also found in: Wikipedia.
zaf·fer
also zaf·fre (zăf′ər)n.
An impure oxide of cobalt, used to produce a blue color in enamel and in the making of smalt.
[Italian zaffera, from Old French safre, perhaps alteration of safir, sapphire; see sapphire, or from Arabic ṣufr, yellow copper, brass, from 'aṣfar, yellow; see ṣpr in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
zaffer
(ˈzæfə) orzaffre
n
(Elements & Compounds) impure cobalt oxide, used to impart a blue colour to enamels
[C17: from Italian zaffera; perhaps related to Latin sapphīrus sapphire]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
zaf•fer
(ˈzæf ər)n.
a blue pigment containing impure cobalt oxide, used in ceramic glazes.
[1655–65; < Italian zaffera, perhaps < Latin sapphīra sapphire]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.