kermes

[ kur-meez ]

/ ˈkɜr miz /

Save This Word!

noun

a red dye formerly prepared from the dried bodies of the females of a scale insect, Kermes ilices, which lives on small, evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean region.

the oak itself, of the genus Quercus coccifera.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of kermes

1590–1600; <French kermès<Arabic qirmiz<Persian; replacing earlier chermez<Italian chermes<Arabic as above; see crimson

Words nearby kermes

Kerkyra, kerma, Kermadec Trench, Kerman, Kermanshah, kermes, kermesite, kermis, Kermit, kern, kernel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kermes in a sentence

In the Middle Ages the dye from the kermes was still called “vermiculata,” of which the word vermilion is a literal translation.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
The mineral red now called vermilion must have borrowed its name from the insect dye which the Greeks and Romans called “kermes.”
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
The Polish kermes (Coccus polonicus) was formerly used very much in Europe.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier
"Grain," therefore, meant a dye of such red as might be produced by the use of kermes or coccum.
An Introduction to the Prose and Poetical Works of John Milton|Hiram Corson

After the discovery of America, cochineal having been introduced, began to supersede kermes for all brilliant red dyes.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for kermes

kermes

/ (ˈkɜːmɪz) /

noun

the dried bodies of female scale insects of the genus Kermes, esp K. ilices of Europe and W Asia, used as a red dyestuff

a small evergreen Eurasian oak tree, Quercus coccifera, with prickly leaves resembling holly: the host plant of kermes scale insects

Word Origin for kermes

C16: from French kermès, from Arabic qirmiz, from Sanskrit krmija- red dye, literally: produced by a worm, from krmi worm + ja- produced

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