cochineal
noun
[ ˌkɒtʃɪˈniːl ]
• a scarlet dye used for colouring food, made from the crushed dried bodies of a female scale insect.
• the scale insect that is used for cochineal, native to Mexico and formerly cultivated on cacti.
Origin:
late 16th century: from French cochenille or Spanish cochinilla, from Latin coccinus ‘scarlet’, from Greek kokkos ‘berry’ (the insect bodies were mistaken for grains or berries). Compare with coccus, kermes.
