kermes: Meaning and Definition of

ker•mes

Pronunciation: (kûr'mēz), [key]
— n.
  1. a red dye formerly prepared from the dried bodies of the females of a scale insect, Kermes ilices, which lives on small, evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean region.
  2. the oak itself, of the genus Quercus coccifera.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.