# scarlet

Pronunciation: US say "SKAHR-lit" /ˈskɑɹlɪt/; UK say "SKAH-lit" /ˈskɑːlɪt/; AUS say "SKAH-luht" /ˈskɐːlət/

## Adjective

1. Of a bright red color, sometimes leaning toward orange.
   - Simple: Bright red, sometimes with a little orange in it.
   - _A scarlet banner snapped above the castle gate._
   - _The cardinal's scarlet robes stood out against the gray stone._
3. Marked by sin or sexual immorality.
   - Simple: Sinful, especially through sexual behavior seen as wrong.
   - _Society cast her out as a scarlet creature unfit for decent company._
   - _He railed against the scarlet pleasures of the gambling dens._
5. Flushed deep red in the face from embarrassment or shame. *(Ireland)*
   - Simple: Red in the face because you feel embarrassed or ashamed.
   - _Her cheeks were scarlet by the time the applause finally died down._
   - _He turned scarlet when his mistake was announced to the whole office._

## Noun

2. A vivid red, sometimes carrying a hint of orange.
   - Simple: A bright red color, sometimes with a touch of orange.
   - _The flag's scarlet had faded after years in the sun._
   - _Painters prized scarlet for its warmth and intensity on canvas._
4. Fabric dyed a brilliant red.
   - Simple: Cloth that has been dyed a bright red.
   - _The tailor draped a length of scarlet across the counter._
   - _Only the wealthy could afford robes cut from scarlet._

## Verb

6. To dye or tint something a brilliant red.
   - Simple: To color something a bright red.
   - _Dyers scarlet the wool using crushed insects and mordant._
   - _She scarleted the trim by hand before the parade._

## Origin

Scarlet comes from Middle English scarlet, borrowed from Old French escarlate ('a type of cloth'), from Medieval Latin scarlatum ('scarlet cloth'), of uncertain origin. It was long linked to a Persian word for a warm woollen cloth, but that is now thought to come from Arabic siqillāt, denoting luxury silks dyed scarlet-red; this may in turn derive from Byzantine Greek and ultimately Latin sigillātum ('sealed').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/scarlet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).