vermilion

noun ver·mil·ion \ vər-ˈmil-yən \

variants: or less commonly vermillion

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of vermilion

1 : a vivid reddish orange

2 : a bright red pigment consisting of mercuric sulfide; broadly : any of various red pigments

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Recent Examples of vermilion from the Web

The colors are what everyone remembers: magenta, as previously seen in Mexico City, plus vermilion, aqua and chrome yellow.

— alexandra lange, Curbed, "Lessons from LA’s 1984 Summer Olympics," 17 May 2018
At the extreme end, the vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens, had a 400-fold difference in eggs between the littlest and biggest mama fish.

— ben guarino, Anchorage Daily News, "We’re fishing exactly the wrong fish, scientists warn," 10 May 2018
Go for flashy fight choreography and a pleasingly vermilion color palette.

— emma krupp, RedEye Chicago, "Your winter movie preview: 30 reasons to go to a show," 10 Jan. 2018
Canary yellow swirls next to dark burgundy, and chartreuse grabs the eye when paired with vermilion. Upend the adage of separating warm colors (like red) and cool ones (blues), and go for shock.

— amy merrick, WSJ, "5 Lessons From the Punk Rockers of Gardening," 26 Apr. 2018
Blood exploded out of Bandino's neck like flames being tossed out of a bucket, turning the snow at his feet into a sea of vermilion.

— barry gifford, latimes.com, "'The Best Part of the Story': New short fiction by Barry Gifford," 16 Mar. 2018
The pork is stained red, shading from carmine to vermilion, and a beautiful ruin.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "At Taqueria El Sinaloense, Regional Dishes Worth an Early Trip," 15 Feb. 2018
The sober and beautiful color palette of myriad blues — navy, Cetacean, Cerulean, blueberry, turquoise — as well as purple and vermilion ensured the collection stayed tasteful.

— thomas adamson, The Seattle Times, "Slimane named new Celine designer as Paris menswear wraps up," 21 Jan. 2018
More slow-paced and traditional, Kyoto is best known for its shrines and temples, including the stunning vermilion gateways of the Fushimi Inari Taisha and the sprawling forests of the Enryaku-ji complex that are like taking a walk back in time.

— lauren hubbard, Harper's BAZAAR, "The 18 Places to Travel in 2018," 21 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vermilion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vermilion

Middle English vermilioun, borrowed from Anglo-French vermeilloun, from vermeil "bright red, red color" (going back to Late Latin vermiculus "bright red color (obtained from kermes)," going back to Latin, "insect larva, grub," from vermis "worm" + -culus, diminutive suffix) + -on, diminutive or particularizing suffix, going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of persons with a prominent feature — more at ¹worm

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe

VERMILION Defined for English Language Learners

vermilion

noun

Definition of vermilion for English Language Learners

: a bright orange-red color

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