- A red, resinous substance obtained from the fruit of a climbing palm (Daemonorops draco) of tropical Asia, formerly used in the manufacture of varnishes and lacquers.
- Any of several resins similar to this substance.
dragon's blood
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Dictionary:
drag·on's blood (drăg'ənz) |
n.
| Marketing Dictionary: dragon's blood |
Powder applied to the relief portions of a metal printing plate by using heat, so that the powder fuses with the plate's surface and protects the covered areas from damage caused by acid that is used during the printing process. Dragon's blood powder is made from the fruit of the rattan palm.
| English Folklore: dragon's blood |
A useful and powerful ingredient in love divination and other spells, used in a number of ways, but usually involving the fire: ‘Buy a pennyworth of dragon's blood from a chemist, sprinkle the powder in the fire any night when the clock is striking twelve, and your future husband or wife will appear … ‘(Billson, 1895: 59-60). It was being used in this way well into the 20th century (N&Q 12s:10 (1922), 248). Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary glosses Dragon's Blood as the herb Robert (Geranium Robertianum); A. R. Wright (1928: 69) defines it as ‘the resin from the Calamus draco and certain other trees, used chiefly in varnish-making’.
| Architecture: dragon’s blood |
A naturally occurring deep red resin; used as a tinting material, principally in varnishes.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: dragon's blood |
dragon's blood, name for a red resin obtained from a number of different plants. It was held by early Greeks, Romans, and Arabs to have medicinal properties; Dioscorides and other early writers described it. A chief source was Dracaena cinnabari, a tree of the agave family. Voyagers to the Canary Islands in the 15th cent. obtained it from another species, D. draco. The resin, exuding beautiful garnet-colored drops when the tree is wounded, was well known as the source of varnish for 18th-century Italian violinmakers. Later, dragon's-blood varnishes and medicines were obtained chiefly from the immature fruits of a palm (Daemonorops draco) native to Malaya. Although still sometimes used in photoengraving processes, dragon's blood as a coloring material has largely been replaced by synthetics.
| Wikipedia: Dragon blood |
For herbs, see Dragon's blood.
Dragon's blood serves a purpose in many different mythologies. Depending on the tradition, dragon’s blood had very different meanings. In the Slavic myth, the Earth refuses it as it is so vile that Mother Earth wishes not to have it within her womb, and it remains above ground for all eternity.
In another myth, dragon’s blood is used in extreme cases as a medicine, retaining the magic powers of the serpentine lizard. In yet another myth, it is used as a poison, bringing instant death to anyone who touches it. In yet another legend it is used as a varnish, its color causing beautiful discoloration on wood.
Another myth speaks of the uses of dragon’s blood to gain wisdom and strength, granting the drinker heroic bravery, curing blindness, and giving one the ability to learn things only the dragons had previously known, such as the languages of the animals, specifically birds.
Yet another myth tells the tale of the drinker getting superhuman abilities and this is believed to be the origin of the popular cocktail amongst sports teams known as dragon blood.
Beowulf and several other myths speak of dragon's blood as possessing acidic qualities, allowing it to seep through lead, steel, and iron. In these stories, knights who fight the dragons find it difficult to slay them, as their swords are melted the instant they break through the dragon's skin.
In Popular Culture
- In the Harry Potter series, the discovery of the twelve uses for dragon's blood are credited to Albus Dumbledore.
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Marketing Dictionary. Dictionary of Marketing Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| English Folklore. A Dictionary of English Folklore. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dragon blood". Read more |
