cochineal

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) A scale insect of the species Dactylopius coccus, native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, which lives on prickly pear cacti (genus Opuntia).
2. (uncountable) A vivid red dye made from the dried bodies of cochineal insects.
3. (uncountable) The vivid red colour of this dye.

Adj

Possessing a vivid red colour, as or as if produced from dyeing with cochineal dye (noun sense 2).

Synonyms

cochineal insect

Dactylopius coccus

carmine

kermes

roly-poly

slater

sow bug

woodlouse

coccinella

potato bug

red dye

kind of insect

cactus scale

armadillo bug

roll up bug

monkeypea

cheeselog

coccus

doodlebug

Translations

cochenille

cocciniglia

cochinilla

cotxinilla

grana

carmin

cochenille

karminrot

cochonilha

carmíneo

carmín

cochenilleluis

Coccus

Dactylopius coccus

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌkɒt͡ʃɪˈniːl/

Etymology

Cognate with French: cochenille

Cognate with Italian: coccineo

In summary

The noun is borrowed from Middle French cochenille (modern French cochenille), from Italian cocciniglia or Spanish cochinilla; further etymology uncertain, possibly from Latin coccineus, coccinus (“scarlet-dyed; scarlet in colour”) (whence Italian coccineo (“scarlet in colour”)) + Italian -iglia (suffix forming collective nouns), Spanish -illa (“diminutive suffix”). Coccinus is derived from Ancient Greek κόκκῐνος (kókkĭnos, “scarlet; (figurative) blushing”, adjective), from κόκκος (kókkos, “kermes oak (Quercus coccifera); insect of the genus Kermes living on the oak; scarlet dye made from crushed kermes insects”) (possibly from Pre-Greek) + -ῐνος (-ĭnos, suffix forming adjectives).
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, cochineal is not derived from Spanish cochinilla (“pill bug, especially the common pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare)”), a diminutive of cochina (“female pig, sow”) (from the animal’s shape), which coincidentally has the same spelling as cochinilla (“cochineal”).
The adjective is derived from the noun.