Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kermes

/ˈkɝ.miz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.37 in modern English

Syllables: ker-mes
IPA: /ˈkɝ.miz/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.

Countable

noun

A crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects.

Uncountable

Etymology

PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis First attested ca. 1600, from French kermès, from Medieval Latin cremesinus (compare Italian chermes, Spanish carmes), from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz) (whence also Portuguese quermes, alquermes), from a Persian word meaning “worm-colored” (compare modern Persian قرمز (qermez)), ultimately Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), possibly via borrowing from a Sanskrit formation. Related to carmine and crimson. For the semantic development, compare vermilion from Latin vermis (“worm”) and its cognates.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: kermès, cremesinus, قِرْمِز, -, *kŕ̥miš

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɝ.miz/

Usage

Inflected Forms

chermes (alternative) chermez (alternative) kermez (alternative)

Derived Forms

kermesite

Phrases

kermesic acid kermes mineral kermes oak

Questions

How do you pronounce kermes?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɝ.miz/.
What does kermes mean?: Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.
Where does kermes come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce kermes

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kermes”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɝ.miz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kermes”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kermes” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.