zaffer

noun

zaf·​fer

variants or zaffre

ˈzafə(r)

or less commonly zaffree

-frē

or zaffar or zaffir

-fə(r)

plural -s

1

a

: an impure cobalt oxide obtained as a dark earthy powder usually by roasting cobaltite or smaltite and used in the manufacture of smalt and as a blue ceramic color

b

: smalt

2

: any of various mixtures of zaffer (as with silica or iron oxide)

Word History

Etymology

Italian zaffera, probably from Latin sapphirus sapphire

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