Voluptuous Pepper Crimson

Latin voluptuōsus, pleasurable — derived from voluptās (pleasure). As a color modifier, voluptuous implies a saturated-and-rich-and-curving-sensual quality, the deep-rich color of Rubens-and-Boucher baroque-and-rococo flesh-and-fabric tonality. Sits at the bold-and-saturated end of the grid, parallel to lush and plush in tone.

Latin piper, black-pepper-corn. As a color modifier, pepper implies a black-pepper-corn-and-Malabar-Coast quality, the visual register of Malabar-Coast-and-Vietnamese-pepper hand-black-pepper-corn-and-Malabar-Coast Malabar-Coast-and-Vietnamese-pepper-and-Tellicherry pepper-and-black-pepper-corn surfaces under Malabar-Coast-and-Vietnamese-pepper-and-Tellicherry Malabar-and-Tellicherry-and-Phu-Quoc Indian-Ocean-spice-light. Sits at the modifier-and-flavor end of the grid, parallel to clove and cumin 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.