sinopia

noun

si·​no·​pia sə-ˈnō-pē-ə How to pronounce sinopia (audio)
plural sinopias or sinopie sə-ˈnō-pē-ˌā How to pronounce sinopia (audio)
1
: a red to reddish-brown earth pigment used by the ancients that depends for its color on its content of red ferric oxide
2
: a preliminary drawing for a fresco done in sinopia

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Latin sinopis, from Greek sinōpis, from Sinōpē Sinop, ancient seaport in Asia Minor

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sinopia was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near sinopia

sinophile

sinopia

Sinopic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sinopia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinopia. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on sinopia

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sinopia

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...