solferino

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a pink dye that was discovered in 1859, the year a battle was fought at Solferino
noun an indecisive battle in 1859 between the French and Sardinians under Napoleon III and the Austrians under Francis Joseph I

So called from Solferino in Italy, where a battle was fought at about the time of its discovery.

Solferino!--Soap, you son of a gun!' — The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain
"The United States had declared war on Austria December 7th, and four days later Section One was rolling across the battlefield of Solferino. — Short Stories of Various Types, Unknown
Acres of closely shaven lawns, dotted with flowering shrubs of the brightest reds, deepest purples, and fieriest solferinos, beds of rich-hued foliage plants, and cool, green masses of ferns meet your eye. — Tales of the Malayan Coast: From Penang to the Philippines, Rounsevelle Wildman

purplish pink

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