KERMES
\kˈɜːmz], \kˈɜːmz], \k_ˈɜː_m_z]\
Sort: Oldest first
-
A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Coccus ilicis) feeds.
By Oddity Software
-
A small European evergreen oak (Quercus coccifera) on which the kermes insect (Coccus ilicis) feeds.
By Noah Webster.
-
One of the species of the genus kermes lives on a green oak, and is called Coccus il'icis. The oak, to which allusion has been made, is known by botanists under the name Quercus coccif'era, and grows abundantly in the uncultivated lands of southern France, Spain, and in the islands of the Grecian Archipelago. The kermes inhabiting it has the appearance of a small, spherical, inanimate shell. Its colour is reddish-brown, and it is covered with a slightly ash-coloured dust. This is the kermes of the shops. It is now only used in dyeing; but was formerly reputed to possess aphrodisiac, analeptic, anti-abortive, and other virtues.
By Robley Dunglison
By Willam Alexander Newman Dorland
