Chem. [a. Fr. alizarine, f. ALIZARI: see -IN.] The red coloring matter of the madder root (C14H8O4) discovered and named by Robiquet; now prepared from anthracene.
1835. Hoblyn, Med. Dict., Alizarine, the red colouring matter of madder.
1863. Watts, Dict. Chem. (1879), I. 114. Alizarin in the anhydrous state forms red prisms inclining more or less to yellow.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, I. 70. In 1869 Messrs. Graebe and Liebermann made the important discovery that alizarine might be produced artificially from anthracene, one of the products of coal-tar distillation.
