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verdigris

Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 11:51 am
by eberntson
verdigris

noun
[mass noun]
a bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate.
Origin:

Middle English: from Old French verte-gres, earlier vert de Grece 'green of Greece'

Src: Compact OED

Re: verdigris

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 1:20 am
by Philip Hudson
Copper rusts. Silver rusts. Iron rusts. Gold, not so much. The only beautiful rust is that of copper: verdigris. Patina is such a beautiful word. It’s not in the Good Doctor's 100 most beautiful words, but I hope he would have included it if he had chosen 200.