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ver·meil

(vûrməl, -māl′)

1. Vermilion or a similar bright red color.

2. (vĕr-mā) Gilded silver, bronze, or copper.

adj.

Bright red in color.

[Middle English vermail, from Old French vermeil, from Late Latin vermiculus, a kind of red worm, from Latin, grub, diminutive of vermis, worm; see wer-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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