Armored Hail Crimson

Old French armëure, armor — past-participle of armor, derived from Latin arma (weapons). As a color modifier, armored implies a saturated-and-armor-clad-and-defensive quality, the deep-rich color of medieval-knight full-plate-armor visible-and-formidable battle-presence. Sits at the bold-and-fortified end of the grid, parallel to ironclad and shielded.

Old English hægl, hail-stones. As a color modifier, hail implies a hail-stone-and-clattering-and-spring-thunderstorm quality, the visual register of prairie-and-summer-thunderhead-hail hand-hail-stone-and-clattering-and-spring-thunderstorm prairie-and-summer-thunderhead-hail-and-Great-Plains hail-and-hail-stone-and-clattering surfaces under prairie-and-summer-thunderhead-hail-and-Great-Plains Tornado-Alley-and-Kansas-Oklahoma-storm-cell prairie-thunderhead-light. Sits at the modifier-and-weather end of the grid, parallel to sleet and flurry in usage.

From the Old Spanish cremesin, itself from the Arabic qirmiz — the kermes scale insect, dried and ground into a brilliant carmine dye prized in the medieval Mediterranean. For centuries the most expensive red on a draper's shelf, reserved for cardinals, kings, and the cloth that gave English the word crimson. Cooler than scarlet, deeper than rose; the color of pomegranate seeds and a serious occasion.