Forms: 4 cynoper, 5 cenopere, cynabare, 6–7 cinaper, 6–8 cinoper, 7 cinnambre, sinaper, synaper, sinopre, cinaber, sinabar, cinabre, cynnaber, 7–8 cinnaber, 7–9 cinabar, 7– cinnabar. [ad. OF. cinabre or L. cinnabaris, ad. Gr. κιννάβαρι, a word of oriental origin: cf. Pers. zanjifrah in same sense. (Cf. MHG. zinober.)]
1. The red or crystalline form of mercuric sulphide (Hg″ S). Originally applied to native cinnabar, a rhombohedral mineral, usually of adamantine luster, the most important ore of mercury.
Hepatic cinabar: a variety of native cinnabar of a liver-brown color.
c. 1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. 229. Great quantitie of quicksilver and Cinaper.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., I. iii. (1616), 616. You shall deale much, with mineralls … argaile, alkaly, Cinoper.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 227. Sinabar … is a deadly medicine made half of quick-silver, and half of Brimstone by Art of fire.
1635. Swan, Spec. M., vi. (1643), 294. Cinoper … otherwise called Vermilion.
1685. Boyle, Salub. Air, 64. Cinnabar, which is the Ore of Quicksilver.
1727. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Bezoar Stone, Others use Cinoper, Antimony, and Quicksilver.
1838–43. Arnold, Hist. Rome, III. xlvii. 398. The cinnabar or sulphuret of quicksilver, of the famous mines of Almaden.
1863–72. Watts, Dict. Chem., III. 912. Mercuric Sulphide … exists both amorphous and crystallised; in the former state it is black; in the latter, it has a fine red colour and constitutes the well-known pigment called cinnabar or vermillion.
2. The same used as a pigment; VERMILION.
1382. Wyclif, Jer. xxii. 14. [He] maketh cedre couples, and peynteth with cynoper [1388 with reed colour].
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., XII. 118. Write oute whate the list with cynabare.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, I. 13/1. Colours derived from Sanguine…. Swarvy Red…. Synaper, or Lake colour.
1784. J. Barry, Lect. Art, vi. (1848), 213. Blue, white, and black, with here and there perhaps a tincture of cinnabar.
1812. Davy, Chem. Philos., 441. A cake of a fine red colour, called cinnabar, and known in commerce under the name of vermilion.
† b. transf. A red color like that of vermilion.
1616. Drumm. of Hawth., Sonn., xxvi. From th’ orient borrowing gold, from western skies Heavenly cinabre.
3. Cinnabar of antimony: ‘name for sulphuret of antimony, which was formed during an old process for making butter of antimony, in which mercury was used’ (Syd. Soc. Lex.).
1674. R. Godfrey, Inj. & Ab. Physic, 29. To work he went on Gold and Mercury;… conjoyn’d them with Antimony...; and firmly resolv’d, after he had made it into a Cinnabar that it should be Horizontal Gold.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Cinnabar of Antimony, a composition of mercury, common sulphur, and crude antimony, sublimed.
† 4. Dragon’s blood; properly the red resinous juice of a tree, but formerly believed to be a mixture of Dragon’s and Elephant’s blood. In this sense usually in the Latin form. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XIX. xxvii. (1495), 878.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. II. 331. Sanguis Draconis (that is) Dragons blood, otherwise called Cinnabaris.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 532. Cinnambre, which is the mixed bloud of their fel dragons and mighty elephants.
1607. Topsell, Serpents (1653), 613. His and their bloud is mingled both together, whereof the Ancients made their Cinnabaris.
5. attrib. Vermilion-colored; deep red or scarlet. So in comb. as cinnabar-red.
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 250. A precipitate of a dark cinnabar colour.
1864. Sala, in Daily Tel., 14 Dec., 5/2. These [legs of a goose], and his splay web-feet, were of a dingy cinnabar tint, like unto the worn-out jacket of an untidy militiaman.
1882. Garden, 23 Dec., 553/1. Lip white, with a cinnabar botch on the disc.
6. Cinnabar moth, collectors’ name of Callimorpha Jacobæa, a British moth.
Cinnabaric a. [f. prec. + -IC.] = next.
