noun
- A purple or violet dye obtained from certain lichens, used historically in textile dyeing and cosmetics.
Usage: archaic; historical
Examples
- Cudbear was a valuable dye in the textile industry before synthetic alternatives became available.
- The lichen-based cudbear produced rich purple hues prized by dyers in the 18th century.
- Scottish manufacturers exported cudbear to fabric mills across Europe.
- Cudbear could be extracted from lichens found on rocks and tree bark.