: a small red cactus-feeding scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) the females of which are the source of cochineal
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe insects are dried and sold to processors, who extract carminic acid, which makes up around 20 percent in dry weight of the cochineal insect’s body. Brittany J. Miller, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2022 Today, Peru is the largest commercial producer of the D. coccus cochineal insect, followed by countries such as Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Spain’s Canary Islands. Brittany J. Miller, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2022 Finally, addition of a gene from the cochineal insect itself provided an enzyme that converted kermesic acid into carminic acid. Brittany J. Miller, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2022 That involves releasing cochineal insects that feed on the cactus, killing it off, but not spreading to any other plant species. Stephanie Bailey, CNN, 9 Dec. 2019 Carmine, a bright-red color, is created by crushing Armenian and Polish cochineal insects, species that are now endangered. Jackie Mansky, Smithsonian, 14 Mar. 2018
Word History
First Known Use
1801, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
cochineal insect
noun
: a small bright red cactus-feeding scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) the females of which are the source of cochineal