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kermes
4 dictionary results for: Kermes
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ker·mes 
[kur-meez] Pronunciation Key
[kur-meez] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a red dye formerly prepared from the dried bodies of the females of a scale insect, Kermes ilices, which lives on small, evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean region. |
| 2. | the oak itself, of the genus Quercus coccifera. |
[Origin: 1590–1600; < F kermès < Ar qirmiz < Pers; r. earlier chermez < It chermes < Ar as above; see crimson]
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| ker·mes
(kûr'mēz) Pronunciation Key
n. A red dyestuff once prepared from the dried bodies of various female scale insects of the genus Kermes. [French kermès, short for alkermès, from Arabic al-qirmiz, the kermes, probably from Sanskrit kṛmi-ja-, (red dye) produced by worms; see kw  mi- in Indo-European roots.]
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Kermes
Ker"mes\, n. [Ar. & Per. girmiz. See Crimson, and cf. Alkermes.]1. (Zo["o]l.) The dried bodies of the females of a scale insect (Coccus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean. 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. [Written also chermes.] 2. (Bot.) A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Coccus ilicis) feeds. --J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). Kermes mineral. (a) (Old Chem.) An artificial amorphous trisulphide of antimony; -- so called on account of its red color. (b) (Med. Chem.) A compound of the trioxide and trisulphide of antimony, used in medicine. This substance occurs in nature as the mineral kermesite.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Kermes
Ker"mes\, n. (Zo["o]l.) [NL.] A genus of scale insects including many species that feed on oaks. The adult female resembles a small gall.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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