Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A strong to vivid red or reddish orange.
- n. Scarlet-colored clothing or cloth.
- adj. Of a strong to vivid red or reddish orange.
- adj. Flagrantly immoral or unchaste: scarlet thoughts.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A highly chromatic and brilliant red color, inclining toward orange. The color of red iodide of mercury is a typical example of it. A color more orange than red lead or as little orange as Chinese vermilion is not called
scarlet . - n. One of a group of coal-tar colors used for dyeing wool and silk, and to a certain extent for the manufacture of pigments. They are complex in composition, and belong to the oxy-azo group. They are acid colors and need no mordant, are quite fast to light, and have largely displaced cochineal in dyeing. They vary in shade from yellow through orange to scarlet, crimson, and brown.
- n. Cloth of a scarlet color; a scarlet robe or dress.
- Of the color scarlet; bright-red.
- Dressed in scarlet; wearing scarlet.
- The red valerian, Centranthus ruber.
- To make scarlet or bright-red; redden.
- To clothe in scarlet.
- n. In archery, the second or next to the innermost circle of the target, which is colored red. See red, 7.
- n. The rank, dignity, or office of a cardinal: so called from the official color of his robes.
- n. A name by which benzopurpurin 4B is sometimes known.
Wiktionary
- n. A bright red, slightly orange colour.
- n. a scarlet-coloured cloth.
- adj. Of a bright red colour.
- adj. Sinful or whorish.
- v. To dye or tinge with scarlet.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A deep bright red tinged with orange or yellow, -- of many tints and shades; a vivid or bright red color.
- n. Cloth of a scarlet color.
- adj. Of the color called scarlet.
- v. rare To dye or tinge with scarlet.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
- n. a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
Etymologies
- Old French escarlate ("a type of cloth"), from Medieval Latin scarlatum ("scarlet cloth"), from Persian سقرلات (saqerlât, "a warm woollen cloth"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, scarlet cloth, scarlet, from Old French escarlate, from Medieval Latin scarlata, scarlet cloth, from Persian saqirlāt, rich cloth, scarlet cloth, variant of siqillāt, from Arabic, perhaps from Medieval Greek *sigillatos, from Latin sigillātus, decorated with raised figures, from sigilla, little figures, pl. of sigillum, sigil; see sigil. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The term scarlet as employed in the Old Testament was used to designate the blood-red color procured from an insect somewhat resembling cochineal, found in great quantities in Armenia and other eastern countries.”
“I forget what I called the scarlet-runner thicket, but by some eastern name, and drawing nearer I found an opportunity for another shot, which missed.”
“The Aorai swung out a boat smartly, into which sprang half a dozen brown-skinned sailors clad only in scarlet loincloths.”
“In the stern he saw a young bronzed god in scarlet hip-cloth dipping a flashing paddle.”
“At her heels ran two of her sailors, Papehara and Mahameme, in scarlet lava-lavas, with naked sheath-knives gleaming in their belts.”
“He has brought in scarlet, pink and purple ones this week.”
“And later, after the interview: I might not have gone but for you, and so have missed the finest study I ever came across: a study in scarlet, eh?”
“His celebrated portrait of Charles William Lambton in scarlet velveteens was sometimes assumed to be an imaginary portrait of the dreaming, youthful Byron, the very soul of English romanticism, and was reproduced across Europe as such, and is still instantly recognisable today.”
“But Burton soon realizes that there is some connection between Speke's abductors and the rumors about strangely predatory criminals, dressed in scarlet cloaks and hoods, who have been slashing throats and kidnapping young boys in the East End. When the artist Gustave Doré -- making drawings of London's underclass -- glimpses one, he sketches what appears to be a "loup-garou," a werewolf.”
The Washington Post: "The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack," steampunk by Mark Hodder
“The tulip poplars have shed most of their yellow, though the maples are still impossibly flame-orange and the dogwoods are deep crimson with a dash of brilliant scarlet from the berries, to match the Christmas glory of the old she-holly out back.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘scarlet’.
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Reds
crimson, blood, scarlet, rott, rojo, brick, fire engine, vermilion, carmine, burgundy, amaranth, alizarin and 115 more...
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Of Arabic Origin
Arabic loanwords in English are words acquired directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance lan...
admiral, adobe, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, alfalfa, algebra, algorism, algorithm, alidade and 181 more...
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RELI - Genesis
Protagonists and relevant words in the Book of Creation (Source: King James Bible)
wrath, leaf, belly, prey, death, break, six, nod, dim, end, inn, judge and 1286 more...
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Uncommon Colours
azure, myrtle, periwinkle, viridian, jade, emerald, lime, chartreuse, asparagus, celadon, harlequin, olive and 147 more...
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phrontistery-s
from phrontistery.info
syzygy, systyle, systematology, systatic, syssitia, syrtic, systaltic, syrt, syrinx, syphilomania, syphilology, syntrierarch and 1593 more...
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2
kerniving, scandinavia, confectionary, mangrove, bejewelled, flesh, crystalline, gazelle, pantaloons, bluebird, caribou, albatross and 88 more...
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Red
ruby, crimson, maroon, lava, fiery, rosewood, scarlet, rose, auburn, apple, blood, flaming and 10 more...
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Words To Use In Creative Writing
hag-ridden, light-heeled, wendigo, longshanks, fatuous, insipid, sodden, bulging, sycophantic, uncourtly, gauche, assuasive and 102 more...
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Holli
Cancer, Mercury, water, moon, dark, emotion, nostalgia, angst, brooding, isolation, shadow, corner and 145 more...
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Colors
Words for colors, including things so associated with a color that they can be used in reference to a color.
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, purple, navy, lavender, turquoise, chartreuse and 218 more...
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color me mauve
color words
albescent, ecru, eggshell, mauve, taupe, ochre, ashen, goldenrod, gamboge, cream, saffron, mustard and 109 more...
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Rilakkuma's list
The Velvetine Ruffians
gamine, waif, ruffian, villain, rake, libertine, velvetine, luminary, nom de plume, street urchin, epicurean, eventide and 256 more...
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Sweet Smoke of Rhetoric
The ones with which I flavor my speech, and the ones I love to find peppered in literature.
perspicacious, acerbic, vituperation, loquacious, castigate, vitriolic, scintillating, provenance, frolic, attendant, pursuant, epistemology and 313 more...
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words i love
mahogany, serenity, quell, requiem, parhelion, echo, surfacing, ethereal, melodic, vivid, sirenic, sprightly and 122 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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thegirlnextfloor's list
autumnal, avalanche, silhouette, antique, abysmal, scorch, sonic, surge, symmetry, whisper, penchant, dissipate and 349 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for scarlet.
fbharjo from Persian saqalat "a type of red cloth". a rich cloth of bright color. Aug 31, 2009
reesetee When I am dead, I hope it may be said: "His sins were scarlet, but his books were read." -- Hilaire Belloc Feb 10, 2007