car·mine   (kär'mĭn, -mīn')    n.   A strong to vivid red. A crimson pigment derived from cochineal. adj.  Strong to vivid red. [French carmin, from Medieval Latin carminium, probably blend of Arabic qirmiz, kermes; see kermes, and Latin minium, cinnabar; see minium.]

Carmine

Car"mine\, n. [F. carmin (cf. Sp. carmin, It. carminio), contr. from LL. carmesinus purple color. See Crimson.]

1. A rich red or crimson color with a shade of purple.

2. A beautiful pigment, or a lake, of this color, prepared from cochineal, and used in miniature painting.

3. (Chem.) The essential coloring principle of cochineal, extracted as a purple-red amorphous mass. It is a glucoside and possesses acid properties; -- hence called also carminic acid.

Carmine red (Chem.), a coloring matter obtained from carmine as a purple-red substance, and probably allied to the phthale["i]ns.

carmine 

Main Entry: car·mine
Pronunciation: 'kär-m&n, -"mIn
Function: noun
: a vivid red lake consisting essentially of an aluminum salt of carminicacid made from cochineal and used as a biological stain and as coloring in foods, drugs, and cosmetics; also : any of various coloring matters (as indigo carmine) other than carmine

carmine car·mine (kär'mĭn, -mīn')
n.
A crimson pigment derived from cochineal.

carmine

red or purplish-red pigment obtained from cochineal (q.v.), a red dyestuff extracted from the dried bodies of certain female scale insects native to tropical and subtropical America. Carmine was used extensively for watercolours and fine coach-body colours before the advent of synthetic colouring materials. Since then it has been used only when a natural pigment is required: for pastries, confections, cosmetics, water-soluble drug preparations, and histologic stains

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