English
vermeil
Vermeil comes from Old French vermeil ‘vermilion’, from Latin vermiculus ‘little worm’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥mis‘worm’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wormis‘worm’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermis‘worm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermiculus‘little worm’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*vermiclusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400vermeil‘vermilion’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vermayle
- Englishearliest quotation 1590vermeil
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥mis‘worm’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wormis‘worm’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermis‘worm’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermiculus‘little worm’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*vermiclusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400vermeil‘vermilion’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vermayle
- Englishearliest quotation 1590vermeil
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto III: “And in her cheekes the vermeill red did shew…”
The story
From Middle English vermayle, from Old French vermeil (‘vermilion’), 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.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to turn, to bend’
wear, guard, ward, regard, con, garage, warn, beware, garrison, optic, ware, panorama, weir, verge, wry, reverence, revere, prosaic, guaranty, diorama, milliner, 68 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis ‘worm’
through Latin vermis ‘worm’
vermin, varmint, vermicelli, 13 more
through Latin vermiculus ‘little worm’
through Old French vermeil ‘vermilion’
Today it means
adj Bright scarlet, vermilion.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis / vermeil