vermilion
1 Americannoun
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a brilliant scarlet red.
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a bright-red, water-insoluble pigment consisting of mercuric sulfide, once obtained from cinnabar, now usually produced by the reaction of mercury and sulfur.
adjective
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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a bright red to reddish-orange colour
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( as adjective )
a vermilion car
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mercuric sulphide, esp when used as a bright red pigment; cinnabar
Etymology
Origin of vermilion
1250–1300; Middle English vermilioun, vermillon < Anglo-French, Old French verm ( e ) illon, equivalent to vermeil vermeil + -on noun suffix
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.
While competing, his forehead was marked with a vermilion tika, a Hindu symbol of power and purity.
From New York Times
The floodplains also provide habitat for monarch butterflies and birds such as vermilion flycatchers, yellow warblers and red-winged blackbirds.
From Los Angeles Times
Clark off North Carolina, with vermilion snapper schooling nearby.
From Salon
Some of Jade’s work spoke to her personal interests in nature and birds, like an entry she wrote on the vermilion flycatcher, which got about 21,000 page views in the past 12 months.
From New York Times
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
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.
