A white crystalline mineral salt used in cleaning products, as a flux in metallurgy, and in making glass. It's commonly found in household detergents and has antiseptic properties.
From Medieval Latin borax, which came from Arabic بُورَق (būraq) or بُرَاق (burāq), meaning 'white'. The Arabic term was used for this mineral salt that was traded from deposits in Tibet and Central Asia. The word entered English in the 14th century through Latin, as European scholars and traders encountered this useful substance through Arabic commercial networks.
Try Another Word