carmine

American  

[kahr-min, -mahyn] / ˈkɑr mɪn, -maɪn /

noun

1. a crimson or purplish-red color.

2. a crimson pigment obtained from cochineal.

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carmine British  

/ ˈkɑːmaɪn /

noun

1. 1. a vivid red colour, sometimes with a purplish tinge

   2. ( as adjective )

      carmine paint

2. a pigment of this colour obtained from cochineal

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Etymology

Origin of carmine

1705–15; < French carmin (color), carmine (pigment), Old French; compare Medieval Latin carminium, perhaps blend of carmesīnum ( crimson ) and minium minium

Example Sentences

Danso frowns as she makes another round, filling the women’s cups with a dark carmine drink.

From Literature

Some parts gleam carmine, a reminder of summer’s first ripeness; other parts thin to ember-orange, where the flesh has given itself up to time.

From Salon

For years he’s been reviving the use of natural rather than synthetic textile dyes, notably including carmine.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of Mexico’s most picturesque and imposing colonial cities, like Oaxaca, were essentially built on the wealth derived from cochineal dye, also called carmine, and known as “grana cochinilla” in Spanish.

From Seattle Times

During this Era of Exploration, consumers also got their pink cheeks and lips from other pigments like carmine, derived from cochineal insects harvested in Central and South America under similar conditions.

From National Geographic