Standard Lemma guide

cinnabar

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • sĭnʹ-ə'bär
  • /ˈsɪn.əˌbɑɹ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɪn.əˌbɑː(ɹ)/
  • General-American: /ˈsɪn.əˌbɑɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S IH1 N AH0 B AA2 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a bright red colour tinted with orange.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A deep red mineral, mercuric sulfide, HgS; the principal ore of mercury; such ore used as the pigment vermilion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: æthiops mineral

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A bright red colour tinted with orange.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A species of erebid moth, Tyria jacobaeae, having red patches on its predominantly black wings.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cinnabar moth

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Synonym of dragon's blood (“type of resin”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dragon's blood

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

of a vivid red to reddish-orange color

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vermilion, vermillion, Chinese-red

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

large red-and-black European moth; larvae feed on leaves of ragwort; introduced into United States to control ragwort

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cinnabar moth, Callimorpha jacobeae

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arctiid, arctiid moth

8

noun

Meaning 8

a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mineral

History

Etymology

First attested in the mid-15th century. From Middle English cynabare, from Old French cinabre, from Latin cinnabaris, from Ancient Greek κιννάβαρι (kinnábari), of unknown origin.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 丹 (dān) — of a bright red colour
  • Finnish: sinooperinpunainen — of a bright red colour
  • Polish: cynobrowy — of a bright red colour
  • Arabic: زِنْجَفْر (zinjafr) — mineral
  • Armenian: կինաբար (kinabar) — mineral
  • Old Armenian: կինաբարիս (kinabaris) — mineral
  • Old Armenian: կինաբառիս (kinabaṙis) — mineral
  • Old Armenian: տինաբառիս (tinabaṙis) — mineral
  • Assamese: হেঙুল (heṅul) — mineral
  • Bulgarian: киновар (kinovar) — mineral
  • Catalan: cinabri — mineral
  • Chinese Mandarin: 朱砂 (zhūshā) — mineral
  • Chinese Mandarin: 丹砂 (dānshā) — mineral
  • Coptic: ⲕⲉⲛⲛⲁⲃⲉⲣⲉⲟⲥ (kennabereos) — mineral
  • Dutch: vermiljoen — mineral
  • Dutch: cinnaber — mineral
  • Esperanto: cinabro — mineral
  • Estonian: kinaver — mineral
  • Finnish: sinooperi — mineral
  • French: cinabre — mineral
  • Georgian: ცინაბარი (cinabari) — mineral
  • German: Zinnober — mineral
  • Ancient Greek: τιγγάβαρι (tingábari) — mineral
  • Gujarati: હિંગળોક (hiṅgaḷok) — mineral
  • Hebrew: צינובר (tsínober) — mineral
  • Hindi: सिंगरिफ़ (siṅgrif) — mineral
  • Indonesian: sinabar — mineral
  • Irish: cionnabar — mineral
  • Italian: cinabro — mineral
  • Japanese: 辰砂 (shinsha) — mineral
  • Japanese: 辰沙 (shinsha) — mineral
  • Japanese: 朱砂 (susa) — mineral
  • Japanese: 丹砂 (tansa) — mineral
  • Japanese: 丹朱 (tanshu) — mineral
  • Japanese: 丹 (tan) — mineral
  • Japanese: 朱 (shu) — mineral
  • Korean: 주사 (jusa) — mineral
  • Korean: 단사 (dansa) — mineral
  • Latin: anthrax — mineral
  • Macedonian: киновар (kinovar) — mineral
  • Malay: batu kawi — mineral
  • Norwegian: sinober — mineral
  • Persian: شنگرف (šangarf) — mineral
  • Polish: cynober — mineral
  • Portuguese: cinabre — mineral
  • Romanian: cinabru — mineral
  • Romanian: chinovar — mineral
  • Romanian: vermillon — mineral
  • Russian: ки́новарь (kínovarʹ) — mineral
  • Serbo-Croatian: cinabarit — mineral
  • Slovak: rumelka — mineral
  • Slovak: cinabarit — mineral
  • Spanish: cinabrio — mineral
  • Swedish: cinnober — mineral
  • Thai: ชาด (châat) — mineral
  • Turkish: zincifre — mineral
  • Turkish: sülüğen — mineral
  • Ukrainian: кі́нова́р (kínovár) — mineral
  • Ukrainian: цино́бра (cynóbra) — mineral
  • Vietnamese: chu sa — mineral
  • Yup'ik: al'tuutaq — mineral
  • Assamese: হেঙুলবুলীয়া (heṅulobulia) — color
  • Bulgarian: цинобър (cinobǎr) — color
  • Dutch: cinnaber — color
  • Finnish: sinooperinpunainen — color
  • German: Zinnober — color
  • Irish: cionnabar — color
  • Japanese: 丹 — color
  • Japanese: 丹色 (niiro) — color
  • Japanese: 朱 — color
  • Japanese: 朱色 — color
  • Macedonian: цинобер (cinober) — color
  • Norwegian: sinober — color
  • Persian: شنگرفی (šangarfi) — color
  • Polish: cynober — color
  • Romanian: cinabru — color
  • Russian: ки́новарь (kínovarʹ) — color
  • Russian: кита́йский кра́сный (kitájskij krásnyj) — color
  • Irish: leamhan flanndearg — moth
  • Polish: proporzyca marzymłódka — moth
  • Polish: marzymłódka proporzec — moth
Real reading context

cinnabar in complete knowledge articles