| 释义 |
meerschaum|ˈmɪəʃɔːm, -ʃəm|
Forms: 8 ? myrsen, 8–9 meershaum, 9 meerchum, mereschaum, merschaum, 8– meerschaum.
[a. G. meerschaum, lit. ‘sea-foam’, f. meer sea + schaum foam (a literal transl. of the Persian name kef-i-daryā), alluding to its frothy appearance.]
1. A popular synonym of sepiolite, a hydrous silicate of magnesium occurring in soft white clay-like masses.
1784[see keffekill]. 1794Kirwan Elem. Min. (ed. 2) I. 145 Keffekill or myrsen, which the Germans corruptly call Meerschaum, is said to be when recently dug of a yellow colour. 1812J. Nott Dekker's Gull's Horn-bk. 176 note, Those tobacco-pipes which they manufacture of a species of earth, of the magnesious genus combined with silex, denominated meerschaum. 1891Daily News 26 Oct. 5/6 He bought wholesale little blocks of flawed meerschaum, polished them, and made them up into pipes.
attrib.1823De Quincey Mr. Schnackenberger vi, The great meerschaum head of his pipe.
2. (In full meerschaum pipe.) A tobacco-pipe, the bowl of which is made of meerschaum.
1799Coleridge Let. 14 Jan., A pipe of a particular kind, that has been smoked for a year or so, will sell here [at Ratzeburg] for twenty guineas... They are called Meerschaum. 1812J. Nott Dekker's Gull's Horn-bk. 176 note, A meerschaum pipe nearly black with smoking is considered a treasure. 1818Blackw. Mag. III. 404 Bobwigs and meerschaums, petticoats and sabres. 1858O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. xi, One Stradivarius, I confess, Two Meerschaums, I would fain possess. 1884Graphic Christmas No. 5/3 He produced an enormous meerschaum. 1887G. R. Sims Mary Jane's Mem. 145 He sent me back the meerschaum-pipe. |