orcein

O1R1C3E1I1N1

noun

a dye, related to litmus, that is extracted from the lichen Rocella tinctoria; used as a microscopic stain and as a food colouring

Similar
E121orchil
OriginFrench orcéine →
Scrabble 8
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounorcein (usually uncountable, plural orceins)

plural orceins

  1. uncountableusuallychemistrya dye, related to litmus, that is extracted from the lichen Rocella tinctoria; used as a microscopic stain and as a food colouring

    Synonyms: E121, orchil

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna dye, related to litmus, that is extracted from the lichen Rocella tinctoria; used as a microscopic stain and as a food colouring

Similar
E121orchil
Also see
orchil

Origin

  1. Frenchorcéine
  2. Englishorcein

From French orcéine, modification of orcinol. See also orchil.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

EnricocoinerrecoinNeroicCironeCerino
Cite this entry
APA

orcein. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcein

MLA

“orcein.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcein. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orcein,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcein.

Source: orcein on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.