1200–50; Middle English <Old French escarlate<Medieval Latin scarlata, scarletum, perhaps <Arabic saqirlāṭ, siqillāṭ<Medieval Greek sigillátos<Latin sigillātus decorated with patterns in relief; see sigillate
In this sense, being required to wear an ankle monitor is akin to wearing a criminal record on one’s body—like a digital scarlet letter.
Covid-19 has led to a worrisome uptick in the use of electronic ankle monitors|Amy Nordrum|October 8, 2020|MIT Technology Review
There was a very real chance coming forward could destroy any prospect of a career as a running coach, get him sued, and possibly land him with the scarlet letter of a USADA doping suspension.
Inside a secret running program at Nike and a win-at-all-costs corporate culture|Rachel King|October 6, 2020|Fortune
Gang tattoos are still inked onto his face, like scarlet letters.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
With scarlet lips and chemical red hair, the erstwhile agent is still making headlines in the West.
Ex-Spy Anna Chapman, From Russia Unloved|Anna Nemtsova|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I don't know what they want me as a witness for,” he told reporters, whom he received in scarlet pajamas in the hospital.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man|John Lardner|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The end credit scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduces the new Avengers the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’|Rich Goldstein|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Olson and Taylor-Johnson have alluded to some of the complexities in the Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver relationship.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’|Rich Goldstein|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
O Hara San pouted her scarlet lips at him and laughed softly as she subsided on to a mat on the floor and clapped her hands.
The Shadow of the East|E. M. Hull
The scarlet liveries make a great effect, one sees them from such a distance.
Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life|Mary Alsop King Waddington
An additional piece of scarlet cloth is thrown over the remains of a chief or medicine man.
Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2)|A Sexton of the Old School
If I have little wealth, I can give thee love:—love, the glory of life, clothed in colors of scarlet and gold!
The Genius|Margaret Horton Potter
One had scarlet fever, and the other was a young starving clerk in a galloping consumption, thirty-six hours from his home.
The Luck of Thirteen|Jan Gordon
British Dictionary definitions for scarlet
scarlet
/ (ˈskɑːlɪt) /
noun
a vivid red colour, sometimes with an orange tinge
cloth or clothing of this colour
adjective
of the colour scarlet
sinful or immoral, esp unchaste
Word Origin for scarlet
C13: from Old French escarlate fine cloth, of unknown origin