Chermes
/ˈkɜːr.miːz/noun
A scale insect, especially one that produces a red dye, or the dye obtained from it.
Did you know?The dye associated with chermes helped give rise to color words such as crimson and carmine, linking luxury, ritual textiles, and insect bodies across languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷr̥mis
“Worm or creeping creature”
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
kṛ́mi
“Worm, insect, or small crawling creature”
Ancient Greek
Greek
χέρμης (khérmēs)
“A scale insect producing a red dye”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
qirmiz
“The kermes insect and its crimson dye”
14th Century
Old French
cremes
“Kermes insect or red dye”
Modern English
English
chermes
“A scale insect or the red dye derived from it”