Zinzolin or gingeolin, is an old literary or color name that once meant a dark red, and today most of the time, a reddish purple color. It describes in general vestments.
Origin
The word comes from the Italian zuzzulino and Arabic djoudjolân "sesame seed" of zizolin (1599, 1617), or from Spanish cinzolino and Italian giuggiolena, hence the term gingeolin, because you can get from this seed stain. This explanation goes back to cleaning, which also mentions a Latin assumption Zinzolin hysiginium derived from a plant mentioned by Pliny, and its diminutive hysiginolinum. The following authors show that explanation.Littré says "purple dye," without indication of source. This etymology has not always been popular, since Chevreul says "Ginjolin (or gingeolin): color of dried fruit jujube (Zizyphus officinalis), formerly known gingeole". The Italian and Francis Dictionary of 1663 indicates indeed the Italian giuggiolino (jujube) in front of Zinzolin.
In 1650 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 of the tapestry, was a burlesque literary use in the seventeenth century and in the eighteenth century, with a 1769 pamphlet, The Zinzolin, frivolous and moral game, still known an criticised by Diderot. Rivarol still uses the word for historical 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.