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carmine

[ kahr-min, -mahyn ]
/ ˈkɑr mɪn, -maɪn /
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noun
a crimson or purplish-red color.
a crimson pigment obtained from cochineal.
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Origin of carmine

1705–15; <French carmin (color), carmine (pigment), Old French; compare Medieval Latin carminium, perhaps blend of carmesīnum (see crimson) and miniumminium
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How to use carmine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carmine

carmine
/ (ˈkɑːmaɪn) /

noun
  1. a vivid red colour, sometimes with a purplish tinge
  2. (as adjective)carmine paint
a pigment of this colour obtained from cochineal

Word Origin for carmine

C18: from Medieval Latin carmīnus, from Arabic qirmiz kermes
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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