cinnabar
Americannoun
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a mineral, mercuric sulfide, HgS, occurring in red crystals or masses: the principal ore of mercury.
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red mercuric sulfide, used as a pigment.
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bright red; vermillion.
noun
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a bright red or brownish-red mineral form of mercuric sulphide (mercury(II) sulphide), found close to areas of volcanic activity and hot springs. It is the main commercial source of mercury. Formula: HgS. Crystal structure: hexagonal
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the red form of mercuric sulphide (mercury(II) sulphide), esp when used as a pigment
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a bright red to reddish-orange; vermilion
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a large red-and-black European moth, Callimorpha jacobaeae: family Arctiidae (tiger moths, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cinnabar
1350–1400; < Latin cinnabaris < Greek kinnábari < ?; replacing Middle English cynoper < Medieval Latin, Latin as above
Vocabulary lists containing cinnabar
Red
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Orange
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It reopened Thursday alongside some of the never-before-seen ceiling fragments that feature images of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and agriculture, using prized Egyptian blue and Cinnabar red pigments, conservators said.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2022
Taking advantage of the open ceiling, Aryal and her team worked with exhibition fabricator Cinnabar on a ceiling grid covered with netting.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2021
An hour later, a home on Cinnabar Court in Montgomery Village was struck by lightning, he said.
From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2019
At Tower View, prices start at £1.65m; the penthouse in Cinnabar Wharf is on at £5.75m.
From The Guardian • Jun. 18, 2015
Consolidated Cinnabar, which mined mercury at Almaden, was a Northern concern.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
