meaning of kermes
1. The dried bodies of the females of a scale insect (Coccus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean. They are round, about the size of a pea, contain coloring matter analogous to carmine, and are used in dyeing. They were anciently thought to be of a vegetable nature, and were used in medicine.
2. A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Coccus ilicis) feeds.
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