vermilion

Meaning

Noun

1. A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.
2. A bright orange-red colour.
3. A type of red dye worn in the parting of the hair by married Hindu women.
4. The red skin of the lips or its border with the skin of the face.
5. (obsolete) The kermes or cochineal insect.
6. (obsolete) The cochineal dye made from this insect.

Adj

1. Having a brilliant red colour.
2. Having the color of the vermilion dye.

Verb

To color or paint vermilion.

Concepts

vermilion

cinnabar

scarlet

vermillion

crimson

bright red

orange red

red

rouge

maroon

incarnadine

Chinese-red

carnation

mercuric sulfide

annatto

fuchsia

magenta

damask

rubrical

ruddy

Cinnabaris

vermilion cinnabar

zinnober

red clay

cinnabarite

sinoper

sinopia

sinopis

Spanish red

ruby

rubefacience

hunting pink

Pronounced as (IPA)

/vəˈmɪl.jən/

Etymology

From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillon (“vermilion”), from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), from vermis (“worm”), ultimately in reference to Kermes vermilio, a type of scale insect used to make a crimson dye.