bister Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a water-soluble brownish-yellow pigment made by boiling wood soot
    bistre.

WordNet

Bis"ter, Bis"tre noun (Also<
  • Bister
  • Bistre
)
Etymology
F. bistre a color made of soot; of unknown origin. Cf., however, LG. biester frowning, dark, ugly.
Definitions
  1. (Paint.) A dark brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood.

Webster 1913