Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

orpiment

/ˈɔɹpəmənt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.24 in modern English

Syllables: or-pi-ment
IPA: /ˈɔɹpəmənt/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Arsenic trisulphide, occurring naturally in crystals or massive deposits, formerly used as a dye or pigment.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Jeremiah found himself indoors, perfecting his Draftsmanship, bending all day over the work-table, grinding and mixing his own Inks,— siftings and splashes ev'rywhere of King's Yellow, Azure, red Orpiment, Indian lake, Verdigris, Indigo, and Umber."

Etymology

From Middle English orpyment, from Old French orpiment, from Latin auripigmentum (“orpiment”), from aurum (“gold”) + pigmentum (“pigment”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₂ews-, orpyment, orpiment, auripigmentum

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɔɹpəmənt/
British English: /ˈɔːpɪmənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

orpiments (plural) auripigment (alternative)

Phrases

red orpiment yellow orpiment

Frequently Paired Words

realgar cinnabar

Questions

How do you pronounce orpiment?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɔɹpəmənt/.
What does orpiment mean?: Arsenic trisulphide, occurring naturally in crystals or massive deposits, formerly used as a dye or pigment.
Where does orpiment come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce orpiment

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “orpiment”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɔɹpəmənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “orpiment”.
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