Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - cinnabar

 noun  Etymology: Middle English cynabare, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French sinopre, from Latin ~is, from Greek kinnabari, of non-Indo-European origin; akin to Arabic zinjafr ~  Date: 14th century  1. artificial red mercuric sulfide used especially as a pigment  2. a red mineral consisting of native mercuric sulfide HgS that is the only important ore of mercury  3. a deep vivid red  • ~ine adjective