Vermeil

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Vermeil \Ver"meil\, n. [F., vermilion, fr. LL. vermiculus, fr. L. vermiculus a little worm, the coccus Indicus, from vermis a worm. See Worm, and cf. Vermicule.] 1. Vermilion; also, the color of vermilion, a bright, beautiful red. [Poetic & R.] In her cheeks the vermeil red did show Like roses in a bed of lilies shed. --Spenser. 2. Silver gilt or gilt bronze. 3. A liquid composition applied to a gilded surface to give luster to the gold. --Knight.