white lead

noun

: any of several white pigments containing lead

especially : a heavy poisonous basic carbonate of lead marketed as a powder or as a paste in linseed oil and used especially formerly in paints

Examples of white lead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There has been a great deal of uncalled-for propaganda against the use of white lead because of its poisonous properties. —Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2023

Male members of the court of Louis XIV in France painted on beauty marks, while Elizabethan Englishmen powdered their faces with ceruse, a toxic mixture of vinegar and white lead. —New York Times, 10 May 2021

In China and Japan too, elite women and some men used white lead preparations and rice powder to achieve complexions resembling white jade or fresh lychee. —Lynn M. Thomas, Quartz Africa, 9 Mar. 2020

It is mortised throughout and the home's joints were set in white lead. —Alice Adams, Houston Chronicle, 20 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

white lead

noun

: a heavy white poisonous carbonate of lead used formerly as a coloring matter in exterior paints

Medical Definition

white lead

noun

: any of several white lead-containing pigments

especially : a heavy poisonous basic carbonate of lead of variable composition used especially formerly in paints