First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1alum
noun al·um \ˈa-ləm\
Definition of ALUM
1
: a potassium aluminum sulfate KAl(SO4)2·12H2O or an ammonium aluminum sulfate NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O used especially as an emetic and as an astringent and styptic
2
: any of various double salts isomorphous with potassium aluminum sulfate
3
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Origin of ALUM
Middle English, from Anglo-French alum, alun, from Latin alumen
Other Chemical Engineering Terms
Rhymes with ALUM
aplomb, bass drum, bay rum, beach plum, become, benumb, degum, dim sum, dumdum, dum-dum, eardrum, far from, green thumb, hail from, ho-hum, how come, humdrum, income, in sum, outcome, pond scum, side drum, snare drum, sour gum, steel drum, subgum, succumb, sweet gum, therefrom, to come, Tom Thumb, tom-tom, wherefrom, yum-yum
2alum
noun \ə-ˈləm\
Definition of ALUM
Origin of ALUM
by shortening
First Known Use: 1910
Other Education Terms
3alum
abbreviation
Definition of ALUM
ALUM Defined for Kids
alum
noun al·um \ˈa-ləm\
Definition of ALUM for Kids
: either of two aluminum compounds that are used especially in medicine (as to stop bleeding)
Medical Dictionary
alum
noun al·um \ˈal-əm\
Medical Definition of ALUM
1
: either of two colorless or white crystalline double sulfates of aluminum used in medicine internally as emetics and locally as astringents and styptics: a : one KAl(SO4)2·12H2O that is a sulfate of aluminum and potassium—called also potassium alum b : one consisting of an ammonium aluminum sulfate NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O—called also ammonia alum, ammonium alum
2
: any of various double salts isomorphous with potassium aluminum sulfate
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