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• vermilion
  vermilion

  noun

  a brilliant scarlet red.
• Vermilion
  Vermilion

  noun

  a town in N Ohio.

vermilion

¹ American  

[ver-mil-yuhn] / vərˈmɪl jən /

Or vermillion

noun

1. a brilliant scarlet red.

2. a bright-red, water-insoluble pigment consisting of mercuric sulfide, once obtained from cinnabar, now usually produced by the reaction of mercury and sulfur.

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adjective

1. of the color vermilion.

verb (used with object)

1. to color with or as if with vermilion.

Vermilion ² American  

[ver-mil-yuhn] / vərˈmɪl jən /

noun

1. a town in N Ohio.

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vermilion British  

/ vəˈmɪljən /

noun

1. 1. a bright red to reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a vermilion car

2. mercuric sulphide, esp when used as a bright red pigment; cinnabar

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Etymology

Origin of vermilion

1250–1300; Middle English vermilioun, vermillon < Anglo-French, Old French verm ( e ) illon, equivalent to vermeil vermeil + -on noun suffix

Explanation

Vermilion is a deep, brilliant shade of red. You could describe your grandfather's reddish-orange scarf as vermilion. The specific pigment know as vermilion was originally made from mercury sulfide, a chemical compound that produces a deep red color. This kind of vermilion was most famously used in enameled Chinese lacquerware. However, you can use the word vermilion to describe anything that's a particularly deep, rich shade of red. The root word is the French vermeil, "bright red," from the Latin vermiculus, "a little worm," or the insect that was historically used to make red dyes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vermilion Vermilion

The floodplains also provide habitat for monarch butterflies and birds such as vermilion flycatchers, yellow warblers and red-winged blackbirds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

Clark off North Carolina, with vermilion snapper schooling nearby.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2023

One standout piece was a top creatively constructed from a myriad of vermilion flowers, a nod to the dynamic African wrap, contrasted with striking blue pants.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2023

Even so, the actor — a bright and poised presence in a sunny vermilion dress — acknowledged that “Prey” joins an action-friendly résumé.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2022

His mother has shampooed the vermilion from her part.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Among the top gainers in the session are Vermilion Energy, Athabasca Oil, Cenovus and Suncor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Gutierrez, who owns Vermilion Valley Resort, found Slaton around 2 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025

Many of these were condors that had roosted in Arizona’s Vermilion Cliffs, the same place where captive-bred birds were first released in 1996.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 29, 2023

Along the Vermilion River in Illinois, it is seeping into unlined pits containing coal ash — a hazardous waste — and carrying heavy metals into drinking-water aquifers.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2023

His family, the LaBranches, lived in Gueydan, a town in Vermilion Parish in Louisiana.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

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