vermilion

or ver·mil·lion

[ ver-mil-yuhn ]

/ vərˈmɪl yən /

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See synonyms for vermilion on Thesaurus.com

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

of the color vermilion.

verb (used with object)

to color with or as if with vermilion.

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Origin of vermilion

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

Other definitions for vermilion (2 of 2)

Vermilion

[ ver-mil-yuhn ]

/ vərˈmɪl yən /

noun

a town in N Ohio.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vermilion in a sentence

Araks, Beatrice Bralett, Aaron Panty in Vermillion, $115, $91.
7 Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts Your Valentine Would Actually Want|Misty White Sidell|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And the vermillion wall covering in the library that seemed very 19th-century bordello.
Putting Words in Gore Vidal’s Mouth—a Copywriter Recalls the 1982 Senate Campaign|Robert Chandler|August 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In a vermillion fishtail gown and a bright green headdress almost a foot high, she commands the room—Queen for the day.
A Brilliant Film About the Women Who Saved Liberia|Rachel Syme|November 15, 2008|DAILY BEAST
The belly is creamy white anteriorly and vermillion red posteriorly.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman

Large beds are said to exist, near the Vermillion of the Illinois, and in the vicinity of the rapids of the latter.
A New Guide for Emigrants to the West|J. M. Peck
Vermillion, cinnabar: Rub the right cheek with the fingers of the right hand.
Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, Part III (the Text Being Chapters XXVIII-XXXIII of the London Edition, 1843, and the Appendix a Combination of the Appendices of the London and German [Coblentz, 1839] Editions)|Maximilian, Prinz von Wied
That fierce crimson, was it not the hue of a cooling crucible, that deep vermillion the rich glory of a rose's heart?
The Trail of '98|Robert W. Service
Vermillion seems almost indispensable to the Indian's toilet; but in default of this they paint with colored earths.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume XX|Various

British Dictionary definitions for vermilion

vermilion

vermillion

/ (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

Word Origin for vermilion

C13: from Old French vermeillon, from vermeil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

vermilion

or ver·mil·lion

Origin of vermilion

Other definitions for vermilion (2 of 2)

Words related to vermilion

How to use vermilion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vermilion

vermillion

Word Origin for vermilion