Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several plants of the genus Rubia, especially R. tinctorum of Eurasia, having small yellow flowers, whorled leaves, and a reddish-brown root.
- noun The root of R. tinctorum, formerly an important source of the dye alizarin.
- noun A red dye obtained from these roots.
- noun A medium to strong red or reddish orange.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A large wooden drinking-vessel.
- noun Same as
purple-black . - To dye with madder.
- noun A plant of the genus Rubia, natural order Rubiaceæ, yielding a valuable dyestuff of the same name.
- noun A dyestuff and pigment obtained from the roots of Rubia tinctorum and other plants of the same family.
- noun Oldenlandia umbellata.
- noun Some species of the genus Hedyotis.
- noun The white bedstraw, Galium Mollugo.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A plant of the genus Rubia (
Rubia tinctorum ). The root is much used in dyeing red, and formerly was used in medicine. It is cultivated in France and Holland. Seerubiaceous . - noun an annual European weed (
Sherardia arvensis ) resembling madder. - noun the East Indian
Rubia cordifolia , used in the East for dyeing; -- called alsomunjeet . - noun
Rubia peregrina of Europe; also theGalium Mollugo , a kind of bedstraw.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
comparative form ofmad : moremad - noun Alternative spelling of
mether .(obsolete ) - noun A
herbaceous plant, Rubia tinctorum, native to Asia, cultivated for a red-purple dye obtained from the root. - noun The root of the plant, used as a medicine or a dye.
- noun A dye made from the plant.
- noun A deep reddish purple colour, like that of the dye.
- adjective Of a deep reddish purple colour, like that of the dye.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb color a moderate to strong red
- noun Eurasian herb having small yellow flowers and red roots formerly an important source of the dye alizarin
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word madder.
Examples
-
What gets me even madder is that mcdonnell gave deeds so much ammo what with his grad school thesis and everything but deeds didn’t take full advantage of that … He also didn’t really “sell” himself here in nova like he should have ..
Think Progress » Virginians Buck Far-Right Policies Of McDonnell And Cuccinelli 2010
-
He wanted to be known as madder than Michael, as even more frightening.
Maura's Game Cole, Martina 2002
-
The latter is preferred in England, from the long habit of using Dutch madder, which is of this color, but in
-
In foreign countries it is customary to make several qualities of the madder, which is done by sorting the roots; but as only one quality is required for the western market, Mr. Swift makes but one, and that is found superior to most of the imported, and finds a ready sale.
-
= -- This is, perhaps, the most important operation in the whole process of bleaching, especially if the cloths are going to be printed in the so-called madder style with alizarine colours, or otherwise stains are liable to occur in the final stage, and it is then sometimes difficult to put the blame for these upon the right shoulders.
The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student Franklin Beech
-
The name, however, still lives, but is applied to rose madder, which is indeed indifferently called _Rose Madder_, _Pink
Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists George Field
-
So far the routine has been described of the so-called madder bleach, the most perfect kind of bleach applied to cotton cloths.
The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student Franklin Beech
-
Madder could be purchased, for it was raised in the Southern colonies, but the madder was a brown red.
The Development of Embroidery in America Candace Wheeler 1875
-
I learn that the simmering stuff is a dyer's root, known as madder, which will be converted into a purer and more concentrated product.
The Life of the fly; with which are interspersed some chapters of autobiography Jean-Henri Fabre 1869
-
Petition of Captain Macphedris of London, merchant, on behalf of himself and several merchants, clothiers, hatters, dyers, and other traders, praying a charter of incorporation empowering them to raise a sufficient sum of money to purchase lands for planting and rearing a wood called madder, for the use of dyers.
Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds Charles Mackay 1851
fbharjo commented on the word madder
madder - the color not the emotion
April 6, 2007
slumry commented on the word madder
coffea is in the madder family. I love coffee!
July 12, 2007
reesetee commented on the word madder
Coffee--drink of the gods.
July 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word madder
No, that's chocolate (Theobroma cacao)...
July 12, 2007
reesetee commented on the word madder
That's what they say. But not in my world. I *eat* chocolate; I *drink* coffee. :-) Not that I don't like hot cocoa; it's just not a year-round drink for me.
July 12, 2007
hernesheir commented on the word madder
Madder, the color "Turkey" red, or the color of French military cloth.
January 4, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word madder
"Through the peculiar chemical affinity of phosphate of lime for its coloring matter, madder is noted for its remarkable physiological effect of turning red the bones of animals to which it is fed, as well as the claws and beaks of birds."
--from the Century Dictionary definition.
September 24, 2010
chained_bear commented on the word madder
Usage/historical note can be found in comment on scarlet. Another on alizarin.
October 5, 2017