a. and sb. Also 5 cytryn(e, citryn(e, sitryne, 7 setryne. [a. F. citrin, f. L. type *citrīn-us, f. citrus. Cf. It. citrino, etc.]
A. adj. Having the light yellow or greenish-yellow color of a lemon or citron; lemon-colored. Citrine ointment: the common name for the ointment of nitrate of mercury.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 2167. His eyen were cytryne.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., IV. x. (1495), 95. The skynne is yelowe other citrine.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe (1541), 9 a. Citrine or yelowe choler.
1605. Timme, Quersit., III. 172. The wood aloes and citrine or yeallow sanders.
1876. Harley, Mat. Med., 285. Citrine ointment is … much used.
1879. L. Wingfield, My Lords of Strogue, II. v. 120. A bank of weed—dense, slippery citrine hair, swinging in twilit masses slowly to and fro.
B. sb. 1. Citrine color.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 182/2. Orange and green produce citrine.
1884. Girl’s Own Mag., 8 March, 354/1. The tertiary colours, olive, citrine, and russet.
2. Min. A glassy variety of quartz having a wine-yellow color; also called false topaz.
1748. Sir J. Hill, Hist. Fossils, 180. Our Jewellers have learnt from the French and Italians … to call it Citrine.
1794. Kirwan, Min. (ed. 2), I. 241. Pale yellow [quartz], otherwise called Citrine.
1840. Browning, Sordello, VI. 448. Cool citrine-crystals.
So † Citrineness, quality or state of being citrine or lemon-yellow. † Citrinity, Alch. [F. citrinité, med.L. citrinitas], = prec. † Citrinize v., Alch., to render citrine.
1528. Paynel, Salerne’s Regim., B iij b. Vnnaturall coler is the fome of blud, whose coler is ruddy and clere, that is, citrine, in the laste degree of citrines.
1678. R. R[ussell], trans. Geber, III. II. I. iv. 149. Citrinity or Yellowness is … a determinate Proportion of White and Red. Ibid., II. I. III. xii. 80. Which citrinizeth (or Colours) it with good Yellowness.
