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Term Definition
Xanthic / Xanthein Yellow coloration, it is derived from Xanthein, the water soluble color matter of yellow flowers. Source: "Random House Dictionary of English Language", unabridged, 1969
Xylograph / Xylography An engraving on wood, it is the art of either engraving on wood or printing from wood engravings. Current evidence dates the word xylography to 1816, but it is linked to printing practices that are much older. In fact, the oldest known printed works (from Japan and China in the 8th and 9th centuries) were made by xylography, a printing technique that involves carving text in relief upon a wooden block, which is then inked and applied to paper. This method of wood-block printing appeared in Europe in the 14th century, and eventually inspired Johannes Gutenberg to create individual and reusable pieces of type out of metal. These days, xylography can also describe the technique of engraving wood for purely artistic purposes. English speakers picked up the word from French, where it was formed as a combination of xyl-, meaning "wood," and -graphie, which denotes writing in a specified manner. Xylograph artists include Americans Isabel Bishop, Mary Cassatt, Howard Cook, Arthur Dow, Swedish artist, Knut Ekwall and Italian artist Francesco Nonni. Sources: "The Random House Unabridged Dictionary of English Language", 1969; and Merriam-Webster 'Word of the Day,' AskART biographies

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