Basic Details
Word: Crimson
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Deep red in colour, with a slight touch of purple. It can also be a noun for the colour itself.
Synonyms: deep red, scarlet, ruby
How to Spell Crimson
Syllables: crim - son
Tricky part: The ending is -son, not -sun or -zon, even though it sounds like zuhn.
Watch out for: crimsun, crimzon, crimpson, crimsen
Memory tip: Crim + son: picture a son whose face turns crimson when his mother praises him in front of guests.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A crimson banner hung above the school stage.
Example 2: She wore a crimson sari to her cousin's wedding.
Example 3: Crimson roses grew all along the garden wall.
Fun Fact
Crimson dye was once made from tiny kermes insects crushed into powder. The word reached English through older European languages from the Arabic qirmiz, the name of that insect dye.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The sky turned crimson over the Aravalli hills, and peacocks called from the neem trees nearbye.
a) peacocks
b) crimson
c) Aravalli
d) nearbye
Show answer
d) nearbye. Nearby is near + by, and by has no e.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. crimson 2. turquiose 3. magneta 4. lavendar
a) a pale purple colour
b) a greenish-blue colour
c) a purplish-pink colour
d) a deep red colour
Show answer
d) a deep red colour. Magenta has the n before the t, turquoise has oi before se and lavender ends in -er.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word crimson as used in the sentence:
Her cheeks went crimson when the whole hall clapped for her poem.
a) sallow
b) ashen
c) scarlet
d) pale
Show answer
c) scarlet. Pale, ashen and sallow describe a face losing its colour; scarlet is a bright red, close to crimson.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is closest in colour to crimson?
a) a slice of lemon
b) a cloudless sky
c) a blade of fresh grass
d) a ripe pomegranate seed
Show answer
d) a ripe pomegranate seed
2. Crimson can also be a verb. 'His face crimsoned' means his face ____.
a) turned pale
b) became wet
c) turned red
d) grew thinner
Show answer
c) turned red
