isinglass

(i’zing-glas), n. [A corruption, sim- ulating E. gla , of MD. huysenblas, later huizenblas (D. huisblad) = G. hausen blase = Dan. husblas = Sw. husblo , lit. ‘sturgeon-bladder,’ isingla in making mock pearls, and in stiffening linens, silks, gauzes, etc. With brandy it forms a cement for mending broken porcelain and gla . It is likewise used as an agglutinant to glue together the parts of musical instruments, and for binding many other delicate fabrics. It is used in the manufacture of fine glues and sizes, adhesive plasters, court-plasters, diamond cement, and imitation gla , in refining wines and liquors, in adulterating milk, and in lustering silk ribbons. Grades are known as lyre, leaf, and book isingla . In the East Indies, China, and Japan, isingla , or its equivalent, is prepared from various alge or seaweeds—the same in part which furnish the material of the bird’s-nests prized as a delicacy by the Chinese. Such is the origin of the important Bengal isingla or agar-agar. Japanese isingla is afforded by species of Gelidium, and is said to produce a firmer jelly than any other gelatin. These various products are used not only for food, but in the arts for stiffening, varnishing, and gluing. 2. Mica: so called from its resemblance to some forms of the gelatin.—Book isingla , the commercial name for the packages into which isingla is folded.—Leaf isingla , a variety of isingla made by cleansing, drying, and scraping the ti ues of the sturgeon.— Long and staple isingla , the same material as leaf isingla , but twisted into different forms.—Ribbon isingla , an inferior variety of isingla . isingla -stone (i’zingglas-ston), nm. See mica. ising-start (i’zing-stir), n. [Irreg.