ceruse (seros)

[ ceru a, found native in the form of ceruse, but in this case it is generally called cerusite. Ther was quyksilver, litarge, ne bremstoon, Boras, ceruse , ne oille of tartre noon, Ne oynement that wolde clense and lyte, That him mighte helpen of his whelkes white. Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 629. Lend me your scarlet, lady. 'Tis the sun Hath giv'n some little taint unto the ceruse. B. Jonson, Sejanus, ii. 1. IMG:content-0082.png:[blocks in formation] What lady's cheek, though cerus'd o'er, comes near it? Fletcher (and another ), Sea Voyage, v. 2. [ cerusite, ceru ite (ser'ö-sīt), n. ceru a) + -ite2.] A native carbonate of lead, PbCO3; a common lead ore, found in England, Siberia, the Harz, etc., often in conjunction with galena or sulphid of lead. It occurs crystallized, fine granular, or earthy. Its color is white, yellowish, or grayish, and its luster adamantine. It is often derived from the decomposition of galena. Sometimes called ceruse.