cyan

n. See Aurocyanide. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. kya`neos dark blue. ] Having an azure color. Pennant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. ky`anos a dark blue substance: cf. F. cyanique. Cf. Kyanite. ] 1. Pertaining to, or containing, cyanogen. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to a blue color. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cyanic acid (Chem.), an acid, HOCN, derived from cyanogen, well known in its salts, but never isolated in the free state. --
Cyanic colors (Bot.), those colors (of flowers) having some tinge of blue; -- opposed to xanthic colors. A color of either series may pass into red or white, but not into the opposing color. Red and pure white are more common among flowers of cyanic tendency than in those of the other class. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. cyanide. See Cyanic. ] (Chem.) A compound formed by the union of cyanogen with an element or radical. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Cyanic. ] (Chem.) The blue coloring matter of flowers; -- called also anthokyan and anthocyanin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) One of a series of artificial blue or red dyes obtained from quinoline and lepidine and used in calico printing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Cyanic. ] (Min.) A mineral occuring in thin-bladed crystals and crystalline aggregates, of a sky-blue color. It is a silicate of aluminium. [ Written also kyanite. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

pl. [ from the pigment phycocyanin. ] any of a group of photosynthetic autotrophic prokaryotic microorganisms possessing characteristics of both bacteria and plants. When classed as bacteria, they are assigned to the Cyanobacteria; when classed as plants, they are assigned to the Cyanophyta. They were earlier named blue-green algae, a term less used now in technical discussions. Since the chlorophyll within the cyanobacteria is diffused throughout the cell, rather than being contained in chloroplasts, they are no longer thought of as true plants. [ PJC ]