scarlet
English · Français · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
scarlet¹
- /ˈskɑɹlɪt/ US
- /ˈskɑːlɪt/ UK
- /ˈskɐːlət/ Australia
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)lɪt
Where it comes from
From Middle English scarlet, scarlat, borrowed from Old French escarlate (“a type of cloth”), from Medieval Latin scarlātum (“scarlet cloth”), of uncertain origin. This was long thought to derive from Classical Persian سقرلات (saqirlāt, “a warm woollen cloth”), but the Persian word (first attested in the 1290s) is now thought to be from Arabic سِقِلَّات (siqillāt), denoting very expensive, luxury silks dyed scarlet-red using the exceptionally expensive dye, first attested around the ninth century. The most obvious route for the Arabic word siqillāt to have entered the Romance languages would be via the Arabic-speaking Iberian region of al-Andalus, particularly Almería, where kermes was produced extensively; compare especially the dialectal form سِقِرْلَاط (siqirlāṭ). The word then came to be used of woollen cloth dyed with the same dye. The Arabic word may itself be derived from Medieval Greek σιγιλλᾶτον (sigillâton), from Latin sigillātum (“a type of fabric”, literally “sealed; sealing”) .
noun scarlets
- A brilliant red colour sometimes tinged with orange. Biblical criteria of sexual seductiveness include a white skin, black hair, or henna-dyed, scarlet lips, a prominent nose, rosy temples, long straight neck, firm breasts, round thighs, an erect posture.
- Cloth of a scarlet color. All her household are clothed with scarlet.
Similar: scarlet red
adjective more scarlet · most scarlet
- Of a bright red colour. Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarl
- Sinful or whorish. a scarlet woman
- Blushing; embarrassed or mortified. He signed off our correspondence, “Well thank God for facemasks, cos I’m scarlet”.
verb scarlets · scarleting · scarleted
- To dye or tinge (something) with scarlet. Forbeare; the aſhy paleneſſe of my cheeke / Is ſcarletted in ruddy flakes of vvrath: […]
Scarlet²
proper noun Scarlets
- A female given name from English, a modern variant of Scarlett, or from the common noun scarlet. It's not just Ribbons either. It's - get ready for this - Scarlet Ribbons. From an old Harry Belafonte record my mom had when she was about ten or something. When she grew up she was going to have a little girl and call her Scarlet Ribbons.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crimson, red, ruddy, reddish, ruby-red, vermilion, cerise, carmine, cherry-red, cherry, ruby, blood-red, colored, chromatic, orange red, purple
noun
Similar: scarlet red
Translations
Every language
noun colour
| Español | escarlata |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 스칼렛 seukallet |
| 日本語 | 緋色 hiiro |
| 中文 | 深紅色 /深红色 shēnhóngsè, 緋紅 /绯红 fēihóng |
| हिन्दी | क़िरमिज़ qirmiz |
| Kiswahili | nyekundu |
| Português | escarlate |
| Français | écarlate |
| Deutsch | Scharlachrot, Scharlach |
| Italiano | scarlatto |
| Ελληνικά | άλικο áliko |
| Română | stacojiu |
| Русский | а́лый ályj, багро́вый bagróvyj, багря́ный bagrjányj |
| Tiếng Việt | đỏ |
| العربية | سِقِلَّاتِيّ siqillātiyy, قِرْمِزِيّ qirmiziyy |
| עברית | שָׁנִי shaní |
noun cloth
| Español | escarlata, escarlatina |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 緋色の服 hiiro no fuku |
| Português | escarlate |
| العربية | سِقِلَّاط siqillāṭ, سِقِلَّات siqillāt |
adj colour
| Español | escarlata |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 緋色の hiiro no |
| 中文 | 緋紅色 /绯红色 fēihóngsè, 深紅色 /深红色 shēnhóngsè, 猩紅色 /猩红色 xīnghóngsè |
| हिन्दी | क़िरमिज़ी qirmizī |
| Português | escarlate |
| Français | écarlate |
| Deutsch | scharlachrot, scharlach |
| Ελληνικά | άλικος álikos |
| Română | stacojiu |
| Русский | а́лый ályj, багро́вый bagróvyj, багря́ный bagrjányj, пунцо́вый puncóvyj |
Talk about this word "scarlet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scarlet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. scarlet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scarlet "scarlet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scarlet.Cite this
@misc{scarlet_2026,
title = {scarlet},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scarlet},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
