meaning of alum
1. A double sulphate formed of aluminium and some other element (esp. an alkali metal) or of aluminium. It has twenty-four molecules of water of crystallization.
2. To steep in, or otherwise impregnate with, a solution of alum; to treat with alum.
3. A North American herb (Heuchera Americana) of the Saxifrage family, whose root has astringent properties.
4. Alt. of Alum shale
5. A variety of shale or clay slate, containing iron pyrites, the decomposition of which leads to the formation of alum, which often effloresces on the rock.
6. A subsulphate of alumina and potash; alunite.
Related Words
alum | alumen | alumina | aluminate | aluminated | alumine | aluminic | aluminiferous | aluminiform | aluminium | aluminize | aluminous | aluminum | alumish | alumna | alumnae | alumni | alumnus |
