Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Vermeil \Ver"meil\, n. [F., vermilion, fr. LL. vermiculus, fr.
   L. vermiculus a little worm, the coccus Indicus, from vermis
   a worm. See {Worm}, and cf. {Vermicule}.]
   1. Vermilion; also, the color of vermilion, a bright,
      beautiful red. [Poetic & R.]

            In her cheeks the vermeil red did show Like roses in
            a bed of lilies shed.                 --Spenser.

   2. Silver gilt or gilt bronze.

   3. A liquid composition applied to a gilded surface to give
      luster to the gold. --Knight.