vermilion
noun
a brilliant scarlet red.
vermilion
1 American
[ver-mil-yuhn]
/ vərˈmɪl yən /
Or
vermillion
noun
-
a brilliant scarlet red.
-
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)
Vermilion
2
American
[ver-mil-yuhn]
/ vərˈmɪl yən /
noun
vermilion
British
/ vəˈmɪljən /
noun
-
-
a bright red to reddish-orange colour
-
( as adjective )
a vermilion car
-
-
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
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 The specific pigment know as vermilion was originally made from mercury sulfide, a chemical compound that produces a deep red color.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.
Vocabulary lists containing vermilion
Speak
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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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.
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
On it was once an auburn-coated King Charles spaniel, wearing a vermilion bow and looking our way.
From New York Times • May 11, 2023
She refuses to picture what she shall see soon enough: her mother’s vermilion erased from her part, her brother’s thick hair shaved from his head in mourning.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
