cinnabar

Meanings

Noun

• A deep red mineral, mercuric sulfide, HgS; the principal ore of mercury; such ore used as the pigment vermilion.
• A bright red colour tinted with orange.
• A species of moth, Tyria jacobaeae (species), having red patches on its predominantly black wings.
• The Elixir of Life.

Adjective

• Of a bright red colour tinted with orange.

Origin

• From Middle English cynabare , from Old French cinabre, from Latin cinnabaris, from Ancient Greek κιννάβαρι, from perhaps Arabic زِنْجَفْر, related to Persian شنگرف from Old Persian 𐎿𐎡𐎣𐎲𐎽𐎢𐏁 , of unknown origin.