Friday words: Vermeil and vermilion

[med_cat]

ver·meil noun

1: vermilion
2: gilded silver
— vermeil adjective

Etymology:
Middle French, from vermeil, adjective

First Known Use: 1530

ver·mil·ion noun \vər-ˈmil-yən\

1: a bright red pigment consisting of mercuric sulfide; broadly : any of various red pigments
2: a vivid reddish orange

Etymology:
Middle English vermilioun, from Anglo-French vermeilloun, from vermeil, adjective, bright red, vermilion, from Late Latin vermiculus kermes, from Latin, little worm

First Known Use: 13th century

Example:

Vermilion is used in the poem "The Windhover" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, which you can read here

Comments

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

As a kid, I would frown at my pencils & paints and insist that vermillion admit that it's really orange and not red at all. Ha, ha, ha. My anal retentive nature has relaxed enough to forgive it now. I can't help it, my preference runs to blue-reds, so vermillion was always going to cheese me off a little.

[med_cat]

:)