Vermilion, << vuhr MIHL yuhn, >> is a bright, scarlet pigment used to color inks, paints, and other substances. Chemical companies make vermilion from deposits of mercuric sulfide called cinnabar. They also prepare it by heating mercury and sulfur to form mercuric sulfide, then purifying that material. The name vermilion comes from a Latin word meaning little worm, and refers to the dried bodies of insects from which carmine, another red dye, was once obtained.
