archil

UK: /ˈɑːtʃɪl/ US: (är′kil)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ar•chil  (är′kil), n. 

1. Botany orchil.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

archil / ˈɑːtʃɪl/ noun

1. a variant spelling of orchil

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

or•chil  (ôr′kil, -chil), n. 

1. Chemistry a violet coloring matter obtained from certain lichens, chiefly species of Roccella.
2. Fungi any lichen yielding this dye. Also called archil, orseille. 

• Old French
• 1475–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

orchil / ˈɔːkɪl -tʃɪl/, archil noun

1. any of various lichens, esp any of the genera Roccella, Dendrographa, and Lecanora
2. Also called: cudbear a purplish dye obtained by treating these lichens with aqueous ammonia: contains orcinol, orcein, and litmus

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French orcheil, of uncertain origin