Orpyment

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A bright yellow mineral form of arsenic sulfide, historically used as a pigment and in metalworking
2. A naturally occurring compound of arsenic and sulfur that appears as a vivid yellow crystalline solid, valued in ancient times as a paint and in metallurgical processes
3. A yellow arsenic sulfide substance found in nature and formerly employed as a pigment and in the treatment of metals

Etymology: Orpiment is a bright yellow arsenic sulfide mineral, and its name comes from Latin "auripigmentum," meaning "gold pigment" (from "aurum," gold, and "pigmentum," paint or colour). Painters prized it for its vivid golden hue, and it was used in manuscript illumination and in Renaissance and medieval artworks. The Latin term itself was a Roman-era name, and it reached English through Old French, where the form "orpiment" appeared, with the word entering English in the later Middle Ages. The mineral's name had a practical, if unsettling, side. Because orpiment is a source of arsenic, it was valued in dyeing and as a pigment, but it was also dangerously toxic, and its use required caution. The word therefore carries a double association: a beautiful gold colour and a poisonous ingredient hidden inside it.