Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical.
bone black,solid black material, largely carbon, produced by heating animal bones to high temperatures in the absence of air so as to drive off volatile substances. Finely divided bone black is useful as a pigment; bone char, a similar material, is an important source of activated charcoal for use in refining and decolorizing sugar.
bone black[′bōn ‚blak]
A black substance made by carbonizing crushed, defatted bones in closed vessels; used as a paint and varnish pigment, as a decolorizing absorbent in clarifying shellac, in cementation, and in gas masks. Also known as animal black; bone char.
A black pigment made by charring of animal bones; sometimes used in paints, although carbon black generally is preferred for tinting strength and blackness. Available in three grades: boneblack, drop black, and ivory black.