Indian red

American  

noun

1. earth of a yellowish-red color, found especially in the Persian Gulf, that serves as a pigment and as a polish for gold and silver objects.

2. a pigment of that color prepared by oxidizing the salts of iron.

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Indian red British  

noun

1. a red pigment containing ferric oxide, used in paints and cosmetics and produced by oxidizing iron salts

2. a type of red soil containing ferric oxide, found in S Asia and used as a pigment and metal polish

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Etymology

Origin of Indian red

First recorded in 1745–55

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Indian red

Two Indian red lines were soon tested: curbing support for north-eastern insurgents and protecting Hindu minorities.

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026

As many do, he likes to store it in a matka, an Indian red clay pot that is a water cooler.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

The sky above them was an intense velvety-black, changing to bands of Indian red on the horizon, where the great stars burned like street lamps.

From The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

For sunsets, where deep purple lines are louring over the horizon's brink, a mixture of French blue with a little Indian red and lake is admirably adapted.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Thomas Salter

The entire colouring is blended, from old gold to terra-cotta, from Indian red to golden brown.

From Notable Women Authors of the Day Biographical Sketches by Helen C. Black

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