bone black

noun

: the black residue chiefly of tribasic calcium phosphate and carbon from bones calcined in closed vessels used especially as a pigment or as a decolorizing adsorbent in sugar manufacturing

called also bone char

Examples of bone black in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As previously reported, past analyses of Rembrandt's paintings identified many pigments the Dutch master used in his work, including lead white, multiple ochres, bone black, vermilion, madder lake, azurite, ultramarine, yellow lake, and lead-tin yellow, among others. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1735, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bone black

noun

: the black chiefly carbon matter that is left from bones heated in a closed container and is used especially as a pigment or a material to remove color from other things