carmine
UK /ˈkɑːmaɪn/ · US /ˈkɑɹmaɪn/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms carmines
- noun A purplish-red pigment, made from dye obtained from the cochineal beetle; carminic acid or any of its derivatives.
- noun A purplish-red colour, resembling that pigment.
- adjective Of the purplish red colour shade carmine.
- proper noun A male given name from Italian.
- proper noun A surname from Italian.
Synonyms
crimson cochineal C.I. 75470 E120 cardinal red reddish ruddy blood-red cerise cherry cherry-red ruby ruby-red scarlet
Etymology
From French carmin, from irregular Medieval Latin carminium, itself from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz, “crimson, kermes”) from Persian *کرمست (*kermest), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), plus or with influence from Latin minium. Compare crimson and kermes.
The given name is borrowed from Italian Carmine.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rich red or crimson color with a shade of purple.
- noun A beautiful pigment, or a lake, of this color, prepared from cochineal, and used in miniature painting.
Etymology [F. carmin (cf. Sp. carmin, It. carminio), contr. from LL. carmesinus purple color. See Crimson.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “carmine”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details