from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
minium \min"i*um\ (?; 277), n. [L. minium, an Iberian word, the
Romans getting all their cinnabar from Spain; cf. Basque
armine['a].] (Chem.)
A heavy, brilliant red pigment, consisting of an oxide of
lead, {Pb3O4}, obtained by exposing lead or massicot to a
gentle and continued heat in the air. It is used as a cement,
as a paint, and in the manufacture of flint glass. Called
also {red lead}, {lead tetroxide}, {lead orthoplumbate},
{mineral orange}, {mineral red}, {Paris red}, {Saturn red},
and less definitively, {lead oxide}.
[1913 Webster]