Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Cochineal


cochineal \ˈkä-chə-ˌnēl, ˈkō-\ noun: 1. a scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) that lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia and feeds on plant moisture and nutrients, 2. a bright orange dye made from the desiccated, pulverized bodies of female cochineal insects (not to be confused with carmine, a vivid red dye made by further processing cochineal)

Etymology: Middle French cochenille, from Old Spanish cochinilla cochineal insect

Campari’s distinctive red color was originally due to carmine, but today a synthetic dye does the job.

1 comment:

Craig Zammiello said...

Well Travis,
I'm quite impressed by the making of the Dye. Never knew it, Just the shellac from beetle poop!
Nice word of the day, and a very interesting turn with your imagery also!
Love It!