kermes

American  

[kur-meez] / ˈkɜr miz /

noun

1. 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.

2. the oak itself, of the genus Quercus coccifera.

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kermes British  

/ ˈkɜːmɪz /

noun

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

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

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Etymology

Origin of kermes

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

Example Sentences

Before manufacturers could produce them artificially, reds came from minerals, bugs, plants: madder root, kermes, cochineal, brazil wood, cinnabar.

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2019

Red cloth in this period was dyed using four main dyestuffs - madder, kermes, cochineal and lichen dyes.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2014

Of these the most expensive was kermes, a dye made from the desiccated bodies of insects, which produced a luscious, deep crimson.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2014

It takes 10 to 12 lb. of kermes to produce as red a color as one pound of cochineal.

From Time Magazine Archive

The principal exports from these Mediterranean towns are wines, dried fruits, oils, anchovies, wool, barilla, soap, kermes, antimony, vermilion, brandy, cork, silk, &c.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 18 Historical Sketch of the Progress of Discovery, Navigation, and Commerce, from the Earliest Records to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century, By William Stevenson by Stevenson, William