Zinzolin
Shade of red, or reddish purple
Why this is trending
Interest in “Zinzolin” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.
Categorised under Science & Nature, this article fits a familiar pattern. Interest in science articles on Wikipedia often follows major discoveries, published studies, or tech industry news.
By monitoring millions of daily Wikipedia page views, GlyphSignal helps you spot cultural moments as they happen and understand the stories behind the numbers.
Key Takeaways
- Zinzolin or gingeolin is an old or literary color name that means a reddish purple color.
- Origin The word comes from the Italian zuzzulino and Arabic djoudjolân "sesame seed" as zizolin (1599, 1617), or the Spanish cinzolino and Italian giuggiolena , hence the term gingeolin , because you can get a stain from this seed.
- This etymology has not always been popular, since Michel Eugène Chevreul says "Ginjolin (or gingeolin): color of dried jujube fruit (Zizyphus officinalis), formerly known as gingeole".
- The Littré says "purple dye", without indicating a source.
- The word, from the jargon surrounding tapestry, was used in burlesques in the seventeenth century and in the eighteenth century, with a 1769 pamphlet, still known and criticised by Diderot.
Zinzolin or gingeolin is an old or literary color name that means a reddish purple color. It is often used to describe clothing.
Origin
The word comes from the Italian zuzzulino and Arabic djoudjolân "sesame seed" as zizolin (1599, 1617), or the Spanish cinzolino and Italian giuggiolena, hence the term gingeolin, because you can get a stain from this seed. This explanation goes back to Gilles Ménage, who also mentions a Latin derivation of zinzolin from hysiginium, a plant mentioned by Pliny, and its diminutive hysiginolinum. This etymology has not always been popular, since Michel Eugène Chevreul says "Ginjolin (or gingeolin): color of dried jujube fruit (Zizyphus officinalis), formerly known as gingeole". The Italian and French Dictionary of 1663 indeed pairs the Italian giuggiolino (jujube) with Zinzolin. The Littré says "purple dye", without indicating a source.
In 1650 Paul Scarron speaks of it as a color long gone out of fashion, which probably explains the uncertainties as to its meaning.
The word, from the jargon surrounding tapestry, was used in burlesques in the seventeenth century and in the eighteenth century, with a 1769 pamphlet, still known and criticised by Diderot. Antoine de Rivarol used the word for satirical purposes. Max Jacob was able to use zinzolin many times in his novel The Bouchaballe land (1923), without giving any indication of the color or fabric in question, while providing a supremely fanciful etymology.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
