Meaning & use
Bistre
Last updated
A warm, dark brown pigment traditionally made from the soot of burned wood, used especially in ink washes and drawing.
See it in a sentence
The old master's sketch was rendered entirely in bistre wash.
The illustrator mixed bistre with sepia to achieve an antique tone.
A note on using this word
From the French word of the same spelling, bistre was a favored pigment among Old Master draughtsmen for its warm, translucent brown tone.
Words with a similar meaning
sepiaumber
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Bistre”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.