Another very old word for red--crimson
From Bartleby's:
A deep to vivid purplish red to vivid red.

ETYMOLOGY: Middle English cremesin, from Old Spanish cremesín, Old Italian cremesino or Medieval Latin cremesnus, all from Arabic qirmizy, from qirmiz, kermes insect. See kermes.

ker·mes
PRONUNCIATION: kûrmz
NOUN: A red dyestuff once prepared from the dried bodies of various female scale insects of the genus Kermes.
ETYMOLOGY: French kermès, short for alkermès, from Arabic al-qirmiz, the kermes, probably from Sanskrit kmi-ja-, (red dye) produced by worms. See kwmi- in Appendix I.
IE root of Kermes
http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE261.html

does any one know of any other cognates in other languages?






my other obsession