scarlet

1. A red dye made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects. It is used as a biological stain and as an indicator in acid-base titrations. 2. A vivid red.
ETYMOLOGY: French cochenille, from Spanish cochinilla, cochineal insect, probably from Vulgar Latin *coccinella, from feminine diminutive of Latin coccinus, scarlet, from Greek kokkinos, from kokkos, kermes berry (from its use in making scarlet dye).

the word cochineal is also available, but i have never heard it used except in a scientific term, for a stain.

1. A red dye made of the dried and pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects. It is used as a biological stain and as an indicator in acid-base titrations. 2. A vivid red.
the etymology is the same as scarlet, its just a much short path.

carmine, crismon, scarlet and vermillion, all refer back to insect, (sometimes as kermes, some times as verm (worm))and cinniibar back to a berry that yeilds a similar color! many different paths, and permutaions!

will you ever look at the color red again the same?


my other obsession