Where does “vermilion” come from?
Vermilion comes from Middle English vermylon, from Old French vermeillon, from Old French vermeil, from Latin vermiculus, derived from Latin vermis meaning worm, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
vermilion (English): A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury...
Definitions
- A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury...
Ancestry of “vermilion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vermelioun | — |
| 2 | Old French | vermeillon | vermilion |
| 3 | Old French | vermeil | vermillion |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | vermiclus | purple, red |
| 5 | Latin | vermiculus | A little worm or grub in decaying things |
| 6 | Latin | vermis | a worm |
| 7 | Latin | fugāre | — |
| 8 | Latin | fugere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | fugiō | to flee |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewg- | to flee; to enjoy, benefit |