fuchsine

English

Chemical structure of fuchsine

Alternative forms

• fuchsin

Etymology

From French fuchsine, of unknown origin. Possibly from fuchsia +‎ -ine, because of its colour, or from German Fuchs (“fox”) + -ine, because of the first manufacturer, Renard (renard means “fox” in French).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfuːksɪn/, /ˈfuːkˌsiːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfjuksɪn/, /ˈfjukˌsin/
• Hyphenation: fuch‧sine

Noun

fuchsine (countable and uncountable, plural fuchsines)

1. A dye (rosaniline hydrochloride, C₂₀H₁₉N₃·HCl) usually a deep red or magenta colour.
   • 1894, Rufus Phillips Williams, “What Chemistry Is”, in Introduction to Chemical Science, Boston: Ginn & Company, page 4:

     By other experiments a much finer subdivision can be made. A solution of .00000002^g of the red coloring matter, fuchsine, in 1^cc of alcohol gives a distinct color.

   • 1961, Adnah Clifton Newell, William Holtrop, Coloring, Finishing and Painting Wood‎^[1], C. A. Bennett, page 113:

     Acid members of this class include acid violets, soluble and alkali blues, wool blues, Acid Magenta which is the same as Acid Fuchsine, acid greens, patent blues, ketone blues, Neptune Green, Erioglaucine, and others.

   • 1962, William Montagna, “The Epidermis”, in The Structure and Function of Skin, 2nd edition, New York: Academic P, page 40:

     When skin is stained with Altmann’s acid fuchsin methyl green the spiral filaments of the epidermis are stained only moderately, but typical mitochondria stain clearly.

French

Noun

fuchsine f (plural fuchsines)

1. fuchsine

Further reading

• “fuchsine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.