Meaning
1 sensesTo color or paint vermilion.
color vermilion
Examples
5 sentencesVermilion is made from cinnabar, which is toxic.
It's a lovely vermilion color.
We're lucky to live in an era where we don't have to rely on toxic pigments like vermilion or Paris green.
Vermilion is one the signifiers of Chinese culture.
Artificial vermilion is also made both in China and in this country from a mixture of sulphur and mercury.
Origin
From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillonFrom 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. Displaced native Old English bōcrēad.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
vermilions, vermilioning, vermilioned, vermilioned| Base form | vermilion · to vermilion |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | vermilions |
| Present participle | vermilioning |
| Past simple | vermilioned |
| Past participle | vermilioned |
regular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.