vermilion
/vəˈmɪljən
/noun [mass noun]
1A brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulphide (cinnabar).The two paint boxes were found to contain Prussian blue, chrome yellow, vermilion (a red mercury sulfide pigment), and red earth....
- Keune and supervisor Jaap Boon investigated the red pigment vermilion from the Rubens painting.
- Raman spectroscopy is used to identify certain pigments, such as vermilion and red lead, that are not detectable with FTIR.
1.1A brilliant red colour: a lateral stripe of vermilion [as modifier]: vermilion streaks of sunset...
- The sun was tediously ebbing into the horizon, staining the otherwise violet sky with brilliant streaks of orange and vermilion.
- Among the plants that have lovely vermillion hues to go with this season are the dwarf coral tree and the African flame tree.
- Rich hues of madder red, vermilion, saffron, and black are used in myriad combinations of stripes and checks.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French vermeillon, from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus, diminutive of vermis 'worm'.
The name for this brilliant red colour and pigment goes back to Latin vermis ‘a worm’, source also of vermin (Middle English), and its variant varmint (mid 16th century). The reason for the unlikely connection probably lies in the red colours crimson and carmine (early 18th century), which were originally extracted from the body of the kermes insect. People mistakenly thought that vermilion was also derived from an insect or worm, although its main early source was in fact cinnabar, a bright red mineral.