From Latin 'vermiculus' (little worm) — named for the kermes insect that produced red dye.
A brilliant red or scarlet pigment made from mercury sulfide (cinnabar); the vivid red-orange colour of this pigment.
From Old French 'vermeillon,' diminutive of 'vermeil' (bright red, scarlet), from Latin 'vermiculus' (little worm), diminutive of 'vermis' (worm). The name arose from a confusion: the Romans used 'vermiculus' for both the kermes insect (which produced a red dye) and the mineral pigment cinnabar (mercury sulfide, which is naturally brilliant red). The 'worm' in vermilion thus refers to the insect dye, even though the pigment
The words 'vermilion,' 'vermicelli' (thin pasta shaped like little worms), and 'vermin' all derive from the same Latin root 'vermis' (worm). The connection between worms and the colour red arose because the kermes insect — a scale insect the Romans classified as a type of worm — produced a brilliantly red dye. The Romans then applied the same name