Relating to or containing alum, a chemical compound used in dyeing, tanning, and water purification.
From alum (a mineral salt from Latin alumen) plus the chemical suffix -ic, meaning 'of or containing.' The term emerged in 19th-century chemistry to describe substances chemically related to alum.
Alum has been used for over 2,000 years—ancient Egyptians used it to preserve leather and linen, making 'alumic' compounds among humanity's oldest chemical tools long before we understood chemistry scientifically.
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