TURNSOLE - 6 definitions found
Oxford English Reference Dictionary
English Explanatory Dictionary turnsole ˈtə:nsəul n. any of various plants supposed to turn with the sun. [OF tournesole f. Prov. tournasol f. L tornare TURN + sol sun] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Turnsole \Turn"sole`\, n. [F. tournesol, It. tornasole; tornare to turn (LL. tornare) + sole the sun, L. sol. See Turn, Solar, a., and cf. Heliotrope.] [Written also turnsol.] 1. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Heliotropium; heliotrope; -- so named because its flowers are supposed to turn toward the sun. (b) The sunflower. (c) A kind of spurge ({Euphorbia Helioscopia}). (d) The euphorbiaceous plant Chrozophora tinctoria. 2. (Chem.) (a) Litmus. [Obs.] (b) A purple dye obtained from the plant turnsole. See def. 1 (d) . Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Heliotrope \He"li*o*trope\, n. [F. h['e]liotrope, L. heliotropium, Gr. ?; ? the sun + ? to turn, ? turn. See Heliacal, Trope.] 1. (Anc. Astron.) An instrument or machine for showing when the sun arrived at the tropics and equinoctial line. 2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Heliotropium; -- called also turnsole and girasole. H. Peruvianum is the commonly cultivated species with fragrant flowers. 3. (Geodesy & Signal Service) An instrument for making signals to an observer at a distance, by means of the sun's rays thrown from a mirror. 4. (Min.) See Bloodstone (a) . Heliotrope purple, a grayish purple color. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms turnsole n. 1. Heliotrope. 2. Litmus. |
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