Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BIS'MUTH, n. [s as z. G. wissmuth.]

A metal of a yellowish or reddish white color, and a lamellar texture. It is somewhat harder than lead, and scarcely, if at all, malleable, being so brittle as to break easily under the hammer, and it is reducible to powder. Its internal face or fracture exhibits large shining plates, variously disposed. It melts at 476° Fahr. and may be fused in the flame of a candle. It is often found in a native state, crystalized in rhombs or octahedrons, or in the form of dendrites, or thin lamins investing the ores of other metals, particularly cobalt. – Nicholson. Encyc.