red ocher

noun

1. any of the red natural earths, mixtures of hematite, that are used as pigments.

Word History and Origins

Origin of red ocher¹

First recorded in 1565–75

Example Sentences

Their dwellings were uniform, suggesting a highly regulated society: one or two rooms, painted in white or with red ocher designs.

From New York Times

The painting, made with strokes of red ocher on the interior cave walls, was discovered in December 2017 by local archaeologist Basran Burhan, currently a Ph.D. student at Australia's Griffith University.

From National Geographic

Selected by her family to marry an older man she’d never met, 10-year-old Jacinta was taken from her bed in Samburu County early one morning in August and doused in a mixture of milk and water before being painted from head to toe in red ocher — the traditional preparations for a genital cutting ceremony, a near-compulsory procedure for Samburu girls on the cusp of marriage.

From New York Times

One key detail of the original story was true: Red ocher was found on Britton’s body.

From Washington Post

He covered her in red ocher — a powdered pigment found in ancient burial sites.

From Washington Post