Picrin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An obsolete name for picric acid, a bitter yellow crystalline compound once used as a dye and explosive
2. Another name formerly given to picric acid, the bright yellow nitro compound used in dyes and explosives
3. A dated term for picric acid, a yellow chemical that was historically employed as a dye and a powerful explosive

Etymology: Its name comes from a taste rather than a colour. The Greek adjective "pikros" meant "bitter," and the compound was named for its intensely bitter flavour. "Picrin" is an older, shorter form of the same name, which treated bitterness as the substance's most notable trait. Its colour was just as striking. The compound dyes wool and silk a bright yellow, so it was used as a dye before its explosive power was put to use. In military service it became a shell filler, a role that gave it a far more dangerous reputation than its name suggests.