Kermes Definition

kûrmēz
noun
The dried bodies of the females of certain soft scale insects (genus Kermes), used for making a purple-red dye.
Webster's New World
This dye.
Webster's New World
A small, evergreen Mediterranean oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insects are found.
Webster's New World
pronoun

A taxonomic genus within the family Kermesidae — the kermes insects.

Wiktionary

Origin of Kermes

  • French kermès short for alkermès from Arabic al-qirmiz the kermes probably from Sanskrit kṛmi-ja- (red dye) produced by worms kwr̥mi- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Kermes Sentence Examples

  • Until about 1725 the belief was very prevalent that cochineal was the seed of a plant, but Dr Martin Lister in 1672 conjectured it to be a kind of kermes, and in 1703 Antony van Leeuwenhoek ascertained its true nature by aid of the microscope.

  • Since its introduction cochineal has supplanted kermes (Coccus ilicis) over the greater part of Europe.

  • The Sanskrit word is krimi, which has given kermes, the cochineal insect, whence "crimson."

  • The kermes insect was found on the kermes oak, a native of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Countries.

  • The walnut and oak (evergreen, holly-leaved and kermes) descend to the secondary heights, where they become mixed with alder, ash, khinjak, Arbor-vitae, juniper, with species of Astragalus, &c. Here also are Indigoferae and dwarf laburnum.

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Words Starting With

KKEKER

Words Ending With

SESMES

Unscrambles

kermes

Words Starting With K and Ending With S

Starts With K & Ends With SStarts With KE & Ends With SStarts With K & Ends With ES

Word Length

6 Letter Words6 Letter Words Starting With K6 Letter Words Ending With S