kermes
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
| PIE word |
|---|
| *kʷŕ̥mis |
First attested ca. 1600, from French kermès, from Medieval Latin cremesinus (compare Italian chermes, Spanish carmes), from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz) (whence also Portuguese quermes, alquermes), from a Persian word meaning “worm-colored” (compare modern Persian قرمز (qermez)), ultimately Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), possibly via borrowing from a Sanskrit formation. Related to carmine and crimson. For the semantic development, compare vermilion from Latin vermis (“worm”) and its cognates.
Noun
kermes (countable and uncountable, plural kermes)
- (countable) Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.
- (uncountable) A crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects.
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Translingual: Kermes
Translations
the insect or the dye — see also carmine
See also
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “kermes”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.