Sumptuous Woven Crimson

Latin sūmptuōsus, expensive — derived from sūmptus (expense). As a color modifier, sumptuous implies a saturated-and-rich-and-luxurious quality, the deep-rich color of Burgundy-and-Champagne-Court late-medieval silk-and-velvet livery in the Très-Riches-Heures manuscript tradition. Sits at the bold-and-saturated end of the grid, parallel to opulent and lavish.

Old English wefan, to-weave. As a color modifier, woven implies a hand-loomed-warp-and-weft quality, the visual register of hand-loom-and-jacquard-loom hand-woven-and-loomed warp-and-weft hand-woven-and-loomed-textile surfaces under hand-woven-and-loomed-textile workshop-light. Sits at the modifier-and-texture end of the grid, parallel to spun and knit 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.