kermes

See also: Kermes, kermés, and kermès

English

Alternative forms

chermes, chermez, kermez

Etymology

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 ‎ (qermez)), ultimately Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), possibly via borrowing from a Sanskrit formation. Related to carmine and crimson.[1] For the semantic development, compare vermilion from Latin vermis (“worm”) and its cognates.

Noun

kermes (plural kermes)

(countable) Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.
(uncountable) A crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects.

Derived terms

kermes mineral
kermes oak (Quercus coccifera)
kermesite

Descendants

→ Translingual: Kermes

Translations

the insect or the dye — See also translations at carmine

Ancient Greek: κόκκος (kókkos)
Hindi: किरिमदाना (hi) m (kirimdānā), क़िरमिज़ m (qirmiz), क़िरमिज़ी (qirmizī), किरमिजी (hi) (kirmijī)
Polish: alkiermes m
Spanish: quermes m

References

Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “kermes”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

OED

Anagrams

Remkes

[1] Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “kermes”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.