Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Kermes

Ker′mes

,
Noun.
[Ar. & Per.
girmiz
. See
Crimson
, and cf.
Alkermes
.]
1.
(Zool.)
The dried bodies of the females of a scale insect (
Kermes ilices
formerly
Coccus ilicis
), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean; also, the dye obtained from them. 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 (
Kermes ilices
, formerly
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 1828 Edition


Kermes

KERM'ES

,
Noun.
In zoology, an insect produced in the excrescences of a species of small oak, or the body of an insect transformed into a grain, berry, or husk. This body is full of reddish juice, which
is used in dyeing red. Hence the word crimson.

Definition 2024


Kermes

Kermes

See also: kermes, kermés, and kermès

Translingual

Kermes echinatus, gravid females

Proper noun

Kermes m

  1. A taxonomic genus within the family Kermesidae – the kermes insects, source of a red dye.

Hyponyms

See also

kermes

kermes

See also: Kermes, kermés, and kermès

English

Alternative forms

Noun

kermes

  1. any of several insects of the genus Kermes
  2. (uncountable) Crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects

Translations

Derived terms

See also

References