Where does “cochineal” come from?
Cochineal comes from French cochenille, from Spanish cochinilla, from Spanish cochina meaning pig, ultimately from Latin coquus meaning cook.
cochineal (English): A species of insect; A vivid red dye made from...
Definitions
- A species of insect; A vivid red dye made from...
Ancestry of “cochineal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | cochenille | — |
| 2 | Spanish | cochinilla | pill bug; cochineal |
| 3 | Latin | coccinus | scarlet, scarlet-dyed |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κόκκινος | scarlet; blushing |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ῐνος | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |