How did litmus come to be a test?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
January 18, 2002
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The word litmus comes from the Old Norse word litmosi. The word was built from litr-, color implying brightness and mosi meaning moss. Litmosi was the name of a lichen growing in northern Europe. It was used to dye wool and other textiles. Litmosi provided color in the lives of the Northmen during the long months of snow.
Litmus paper is a chemical test used to indicate the pH of a substance. It is designed to approximate, not what a substance is or is not, but where that chemical stands in respect to other substances. It is a generalized either-or test; either this is an acid or it is a base, placing the issue on one side or the other of a neutral point on a scale. Litmus paper as a chemical test is thought to date to around 1800.
The term, litmus test, appears to have been coined around the early 1950s. Originally, litmus test was one in which a single factor or issue was decisive. But its misusage has crept into numerous other fields. Unfortunately, litmus test is often used to stand for a question and answer examination of good or bad, fit or unfit, guilt or innocence.
Litmus test gets used to place a black and white value on the worthiness of something. Once the judgment has been made, it alters our concept of the worth. It is interesting that the Norse name for the color-moss, litmosi, has lingered in our language to define a test that colors our perceptions.
Carolyn Priest-Dorman has posted an interesting article "Colors, Dyestuffs, and Mordants of the Viking Age" on the internet. To learn more, click on the link:
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikdyes.html 
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Deer Lichen (Cladina) species Plant of the Week - January 14, 2002
Lichens and mosses and bears, oh my! Renfield's Garden - January 16, 2002
What was the scarlet of the Aztecs? Renfield's Garden - July 24, 2002
How does the hydrangea change color? Weird Plants - January 17, 2002
How did dowsers use witch hazel? Herbal Folklore - March 8, 2004
What fruit creates a taste illusion? Weird Plants - March 4, 2004
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