vermilion

English

Alternative forms

• vermillion (more at vermillion § Usage notes)

Etymology

From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillon (“vermilion”), from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), from vermis (“worm”), ultimately in reference to Kermes vermilio, a type of scale insect used to make a crimson dye.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vɜː(ɹ)ˈmɪl.jən/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪljən

Noun

vermilion (countable and uncountable, plural vermilions)

1. A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.
   • 1734, “VERMILION”, in The Builder's Dictionary: Or, Architect's Companion, volume II, London: Printed for A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch, […] and S. Austen, […] :

     Take ſix Ounces of Brimſtone, and melt it in an Iron Ladle, then put two Pound of Quick-ſilver into a ſhammy Leather, or double Linnen Cloth, and ſqueeze it out into the melted Brimſtone, ſtirring them, in the mean Time, with a wooden Spatula till they are well united; and when they are cold, beat the Maſs into a Powder, and ſublime it in a Glaſs-veſſel, with a ſtrong Fire, and it will riſe into that Red Subſtance, which is called artificial Cinnabar or Vermilion.

2. A bright orange-red colour.

   vermilion:  

   vermilion Web:  

   • 1911 February 24, Outram Bangs, “Two New Birds from the Island of Molokai”, in Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, volume XXIV, page 29:

     While this particular difference in the shade of vermilion is very striking in the symmetrical, smooth skins of even and regular make, which I have just compared, I must confess that it probably would not be in rough skins such as some European ornithologists appear still content with.

3. A type of red dye worn in the parting of the hair by married Hindu women.
4. The red skin of the lips or its border with the skin of the face.
5. (obsolete) The kermes or cochineal insect.
6. (obsolete) The cochineal dye made from this insect.

Derived terms

• Vermilion County
• Vermilion Parish

Related terms

• vermeil

Translations

pigment

• Catalan: vermelló (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 朱紅色 (zh), 朱红色 (zh) (zhūhóngsè), 朱紅 (zh), 朱红 (zh) (zhūhóng)

• Dutch: vermiljoen (nl) n
• Finnish: sinooperipunainen
• French: vermillon (fr) m
• Georgian: ვერმილიონი (vermilioni), სინგური (singuri)
• German: Zinnober (de) m
• Greek: κιννάβαρι (el) n (kinnávari)
• Hindi: सिंदूर (hi) m (sindūr)
• Hungarian: cinóber (hu)

• Irish: flanndearg m
• Japanese: 朱 (ja) (しゅ, shu)
• Norwegian: sinober (no) m, sinoberrødt n, vermilion m
• Polish: cynober (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: vermelhão m
• Romanian: vermillon (ro) n, cinabru (ro) n
• Russian: вермильо́н (ru) m (vermilʹón), ки́новарь (ru) f (kínovarʹ)
• Sanskrit: दरद (sa) m (darada)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: цино́бер

  Roman: cinóber (sh)

• Spanish: bermellón (es) m

colour

• Armenian: ալ (hy) (al), ալ կարմիր (al karmir)
• Azerbaijani: qönçə (az), al (az), al-qırmızı
• Bulgarian: яркочервено (bg) (jarkočerveno)
• Catalan: vermelló (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: vermiljoen (nl) n
• Finnish: sinooperinpunainen
• Georgian: კაშკაშა წითელი (ḳašḳaša c̣iteli)
• Hebrew: שָׁשַׁר‎ (he) m (shashár)
• Hindi: सिंदूरिया रंग m (sindūriyā raṅg), सिंदूरी (hi) (sindūrī), क़िरमिज़ m (qirmiz)
• Hungarian: cinóbervörös (hu), cinóberpiros (hu), cinóberszín, vermilion (hu)

• Irish: flanndearg
• Japanese: 朱 (ja) (しゅ, shu), 朱色 (ja) (しゅいろ, shuiro)
• Norwegian: sinober (no) m, sinoberrødt n, vermilion m
• Portuguese: vermelhão m
• Romanian: vermillon (ro)
• Russian: я́рко-кра́сный (ru) m (járko-krásnyj) (цвет), а́лый (ru) m (ályj) (цвет)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: румена f

  Roman: rumena f

• Spanish: bermellón (es)
• Ukrainian: цино́бровий (cynóbrovyj) (колір), кіноварний (kinovarnyj)

dye

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: vermiljoen (nl) n
• Finnish: sinooperinpunainen hiusväri
• Greek: κιννάβαρι (el) n (kinnávari)
• Gujarati: સિંદૂર (sindūr)

• Hindi: सिंदूर (hi) m (sindūr)
• Portuguese: vermelhão m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: цино́бер

  Roman: cinóber (sh)

Adjective

vermilion (comparative more vermilion, superlative most vermilion)

1. Having a brilliant red colour.
2. Having the color of the vermilion dye.

Translations

having a brilliant red colour

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: vermiljoen (nl) n
• Finnish: tulipunainen (fi), kirkkaanpunainen (fi)
• French: vermeil (fr)
• Hindi: क़िरमिज़ी (qirmizī), सिंदूरी (hi) (sindūrī)
• Hungarian: élénkpiros (hu)

• Japanese: 赤い (ja) (あかい, akai)
• Latin: miniānus
• Old Occitan: vermelh
• Portuguese: vermelhão
• Romanian: vermeil
• Russian: я́рко-кра́сный (ru) (járko-krásnyj), а́лый (ru) (ályj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: boje cinobera

• Spanish: bermejo (es)
• Venetian: sguardo

having the color of vermilion dye

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: vermiljoen (nl) n
• Finnish: sinooperinpunainen
• Hindi: सिंदूरी (hi) (sindūrī), सिंदूरिया (hi) (sindūriyā)

• Hungarian: cinóberpiros (hu), cinóbervörös (hu), cinóberszín, vermilion (hu)
• Japanese: 朱色 (ja) (しゅいろ, shuiro)
• Latin: miniānus
• Norwegian: sinoberrød
• Persian: شنگرف‎ (fa) (šangarf)
• Spanish: bermejo (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} ален (bg) (alen)
• French: ^{(please verify)} vermillon (fr) m
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} vermiglio (it) m, ^{(please verify)} vermiglione m
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 朱 (zh) (zhū)

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} румен m

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} rumen (sh) m

See also

• red
• scarlet
• vermeil
• Appendix:Colors

Verb

vermilion (third-person singular simple present vermilions, present participle vermilioning, simple past and past participle vermilioned)

1. (transitive) To color or paint vermilion.
   • 1774 March, “Coraly: A Portrait”, in The Hibernian Magazine, or, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge, page 160:

     Coraly has few of thoſe charms that conſtitute perſonal excellence—her cheek is pallid—her eye no brilliant; but when the latter beams benevolence, or ſparkles with mirth—when the former is ſuffuſed with the captivating bluſh of modeſty, or vermilioned with the glow of the tender paſſion, there are none more pleaſing.

Anagrams

• limnivore