Ethiops

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 4: Dionysius to Friction, p. 439

Ethiops, or ÆTHIOPS (Gr. aithō, 'I burn,' and ops, 'countenance'), is a term applied by the ancient chemists to certain oxides and sulphides of the metals which possessed a dull, dingy, or black appearance. Thus, Ethiops Martialis was the mixture of protoxide and peroxide of iron known as the black oxide.

Source scan(s): p. 0450