The word ochre is derived from the Greek word 'okhros' which means pale yellow or pale. It is a family of earth pigments that comes on wide range of colours like yellow, red, purple, sienna and umber. Ochre mainly consists of hydrated iron oxide. The light brownish-yellow produced by this pigment has the name ochre.  Large quantity of hematite or hydrated iron oxide produces a reddish tint and is known as red ochre. The presence of limonite in the pigment gives it a yellow colour. Ancient Egyptians used the red ochre as lip-gloss and yellow ochre were commonly used for paintings in walls and caves.