The phrase "lac plumbi" may seem daunting to spell, but it's actually quite easy once you understand its origins. "Lac" is Latin for "milk," while "plumbi" is Latin for "lead." So "lac plumbi" refers to an ancient remedy for stomach ailments made by mixing milk and lead. In terms of spelling, "lac" is pronounced like "lack," while "plumbi" is pronounced like "plum-bee." So, the correct pronunciation in IPA would be "læk ˈplʌmbi." While the remedy is not used anymore due to lead's toxic nature, its name remains an interesting linguistic relic.
Lac plumbi is a Latin term that translates to "lead white" in English. It is derived from the words "lac" meaning "milk" and "plumbi" meaning "of lead."
Lac plumbi refers to a highly valued and commonly used white pigment that was historically produced from lead compounds. It is a dense, opaque, and lustrous pigment that has been extensively used in art, painting, and decorative applications. The characteristic brilliance and reflective quality of lac plumbi made it a desirable choice for creating highlights and achieving vibrant white tones in visual artwork.
To produce lac plumbi, lead, in the form of litharge or metallic lead, was combined with vinegar or acetic acid to form lead acetate. This lead acetate solution was then mixed with distilled vinegar and left to react over an extended period. The resulting precipitate, or lead white, would settle and be collected, washed, dried, and ground into a fine powder. The final product would exhibit a characteristic silky texture and could be mixed with oil, water, or other mediums for its application.
While lac plumbi was widely used in the past, its popularity decreased due to concerns over the toxicity of lead compounds, especially when used by artists who frequently ingested or inhaled the pigment during the painting process. Today, modern alternatives like titanium dioxide and zinc white have largely replaced lac plumbi in art and industrial applications.
Liquor plumbi lactatis.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The term "lac plumbi" is derived from Latin.
1. "Lac" comes from the Latin word "lacca", which means "lacquer" or "gum resin". The word later evolved in English to mean a type of resinous substance derived from the resin of certain trees, particularly in the dry form referred to as "shellac".
2. "Plumbi" is the genitive form of the Latin word "plumbum", which means "lead". It specifically refers to the chemical element lead (Pb) in English.
Combining these elements, "lac plumbi" essentially translates to "lead lacquer" or "lacquer with lead", indicating a type of paint or coating that contains lead.