cochineal insect — n a small bright red cactus feeding scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) the females of which are the source of cochineal … Medical dictionary
cochineal insect — n. any of a family (Dactylopiidae) of scale insects, esp. one (Dactylopius coccus) that has a brilliant red body fluid, feeds on certain cactuses, is found chiefly in Mexico, and was formerly much used as a source of cochineal … English World dictionary
cochineal insect — noun Mexican red scale insect that feeds on cacti; the source of a red dye • Syn: ↑cochineal, ↑Dactylopius coccus • Hypernyms: ↑scale insect • Member Holonyms: ↑Dactylopius, ↑genus Dactylopius * * … Useful english dictionary
cochineal insect — noun Date: 1801 a small red cactus feeding scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) the females of which are the source of cochineal … New Collegiate Dictionary
cochineal insect — coch′ineal in sect n. ent any of various scale insects, of the family Dactylopiidae, that feed on cactus and have a bright red body fluid used as a dye • Etymology: 1795–1805 … From formal English to slang
Cochineal — Female (left) and male (right) Cochineals. Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota … Wikipedia
Cochineal fig — Coch i*neal fig, (Bot.) A plant of Central and Southern America, of the Cactus family, extensively cultivated for the sake of the cochineal insect, which lives on it. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
cochineal — /koch euh neel , koh cheuh , koch euh neel , koh cheuh /, n. a red dye prepared from the dried bodies of the females of the cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus, which lives on cactuses of Mexico, Central America, and other warm regions. [1575… … Universalium
cochineal — [16] Cochineal ‘red dye’ comes via French cochenille from Old Spanish cochinilla, a term applied both to the dye and to the small insect related to the mealybugs, from whose dried body it is made. It is generally thought to be a derivative of… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
cochineal — [ˌkɒtʃɪ ni:l, kɒtʃɪni:l] noun 1》 a scarlet dye used for colouring food, made from the crushed dried bodies of a female scale insect. 2》 (cochineal insect) the scale insect that is used for cochineal, native to Mexico and formerly widely… … English new terms dictionary