# vermilion

> English word · Noun · IPA /vəˈmɪl.jən/ · frequency rank #39,634

## Definitions
1. A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.
2. A bright orange-red colour.
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. The kermes or cochineal insect.
6. The cochineal dye made from this insect.

## 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.

## Common misspellings (13)
`evrmilion`, `vemrilion`, `verimlion`, `vermiilon`, `vermilino`, `vermilionn`, `vermillion`, `vermiloin`, `vermliion`, `vermmilion`, `verrmilion`, `vremilion`, `vvermilion`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/vermilion