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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A red dyestuff once prepared from the dried bodies of various female scale insects of the genus Kermes.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A red dyestuff consisting of the dried bodies of the females of one or two species of Coccus, especially C. ilicis, an insect found on various species of oak in countries bordering on the Mediterranean. The bodies are round, and of about the size of a pea. The dye is more permanent but less brilliant than cochineal. It was a favorite red dye before the discovery of cochineal, and some of the Oriental reds are derived from it. Also called alkermes.
  2. n. [capitalized] [NL,] A genus of Coccinæ erected by Targioni-Tozzetti. They are of globular form, often with a slight median constriction, frequently highly colored, and of quite large size. Less than 12 species are known, all living upon oaks.
  3. n. Short for kermes-mineral, or, more properly, mineral kermes.

Wiktionary

  1. n. any of several insects of the genus Kermes
  2. n. uncountable Crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Zoöl.) The dried bodies of the females of a scale insect (Kermes ilices formerly Coccus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean; also, the dye obtained from them. They are round, about the size of a pea, contain coloring matter analogous to carmine, and are used in dyeing. They were anciently thought to be of a vegetable nature, and were used in medicine.
  2. n. (Bot.) A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Kermes ilices, formerly Coccus ilicis) feeds.
  3. n. (Zoöl.) A genus of scale insects including many species that feed on oaks. The adult female resembles a small gall.

Etymologies

  1. From Persian قرمز (qermez). (Wiktionary)
  2. French kermès, short for alkermès, from Arabic al-qirmiz, the kermes, probably from Sanskrit kṛmi-ja-, (red dye) produced by worms; see kwr̥mi- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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‘kermes’ has been looked up 1397 times, loved by 2 people, added to 16 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 12.