vermilion
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
vermilion /vəˈmɪljən/
▶noun a brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulphide (cinnabar).
■ a brilliant red colour.
word history: Vermilion, from Old French vermeillon, derives from Latin vermiculus, meaning ‘little worm’. This is a reference to a tiny grub-like Mediterranean insect now called the kermes: when crushed, the kermes yields a bright red dye. Kermes itself is originally an Arabic word, from which the colour terms carmine and crimson are derived.
'vermilion' also found in these Oxford entries:
