| borax | A white or gray crystalline salt, with a slight alkaline taste, used as a flux, in soldering metals, making enamels, fixing colours on porcelain, and as a soap. It occurs native in certain mineral springs, and is made from the boric acid of hot springs in Tuscany. It was originally obtained from a lake in Thibet, and was sent to Europe under the name of tincal. Borax is a pyroborate or tetraborate of sodium, Na2B4O7.10H2O. Borax bead. <chemistry> See Bead. Origin: OE. Boras, fr. F. Borax, earlier spelt borras; cf. LL. Borax, Sp. Borraj; all fr. Ar. Brag, fr. Pers. Brah. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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