kermes

Meaning

1. Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.
2. A crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects.

Synonyms

cochineal

grain

Etymology

Cognate with Italian: chermes

Cognate with Spanish: carmes

Cognate with Portuguese: quermes

Cognate with Persian: قرمز

In summary

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.