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Webster 1913 Edition

Cochineal

Coch′i-neal

(kŏch′ĭ-nēl; 277)
,
[Sp.
cochinilla
, dim. from L.
coccineus
,
coccinus
, scarlet, fr.
coccum
the kermes berry, G.
κόκκοσ
berry, especially the kermes insect, used to dye scarlet, as the cochineal was formerly supposed to be the grain or seed of a plant, and this word was formerly defined to be the grain of the
Quercus coccifera
; but cf. also Sp.
cochinilla
wood louse, dim. of
cochina
sow, akin to F.
cochon
pig.]
A dyestuff consisting of the dried bodies of females of the
Coccus cacti
, an insect native in Mexico, Central America, etc., and found on several species of cactus, esp.
Opuntia cochinellifera
.
☞ These insects are gathered from the plant, killed by the application of heat, and exposed to the sun to dry. When dried they resemble small, rough berries or seeds, of a brown or purple color, and form the cochineal of the shops, which is used for making carmine, and also as a red dye.
☞ Cochineal contains as its essential coloring matter carminic acid, a purple red amorphous substance which yields carmine red.

Webster 1828 Edition

Cochineal

COCHINEAL

,
Noun.
An insect, the Coccus cacti, of the genus Coccus, a native of the warmer climates of America, particularly of Oaxaca, in Mexico. It is found on a plant called nopal or Indian fig-tree. The female, which alone is valued for its color, is ill-shaped, tardy and stupid; the male is small, slender and active. It is of the size of a tick. At a suitable time, these insects are gathered and put in a pot, where they are confined for some time, and then killed by the application of heat. These insects thus killed form a mass or drug, which is the proper cochineal of the shops. It is used in giving red colors, especially crimson and scarlet, and for making carmine. It has been used in medicine, as a cardiac, sudorific, alexipharmic and febrifuge; but is now used only to give a color to tinctures, &c.

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