cochineal

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“
The rich red dye is made from an insect called a cochineal which lives on cactus.

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A red dye made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects. It is used as a biological stain and as an indicator in acid-base titrations.
  2. noun A vivid red.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

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Examples (50)

  • Perhaps one of the most interesting dyes they use is derived from the cochineal, an insect known to the area. —  Find Free Articles - ArticlesBase
  • The rich red dye is made from an insect called a cochineal which lives on cactus. —  combined Amateur Traveler travel podcast feed
  • Or, more properly, the stuff we call cochineal is a chemical extract of carminic acid from the bodies of squished female scale insects. —  Bug Girl's Blog
  • Many yogurts and juices also use cochineal, and most lipsticks and blushes. —  Bug Girl's Blog
  • So great was the demand for this dye-stuff that indigo-pedlers travelled over the country selling it Madder, cochineal, and logwood dyed beautiful reds. —  Home Life in Colonial Days
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French cochenille, from Spanish cochinilla, cochineal insect, probably from Vulgar Latin *coccinella, from feminine diminutive of Latin coccinus, scarlet, from Greek kokkinos, from kokkos, kermes berry (from its use in making scarlet dye).

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  1. Early modern English also cutchaneal; = Dutch konzenilje = G. Danish cochenille = Swedish kochenill = French cochenille = Italian cocciniglia = Portuguese coccinella, from Spanish cochinilla, cochineal, from Latin coccineus, coccinus, scarlet, from coccum, from Greek κόκκος, a berry, especially the kermes insect (supposed to be a berry): see coccus. The Spanish cochinilla, cochineal, is by some referred to cochinilla, a wood-louse (to which the cochineal-insect has some resemblance), diminutive of cochina, a sow, feminine of cochino, a pig; cf. English dial. sow-bug, wood-louse.
 

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/ˈkɑtʃɪnil/
by American Heritage

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