Where does “kermès” come from?
kermès (French) comes from Persian قرمز, from Arabic قِرْمِز, from Persian کرمست, from Sanskrit कृमिज, from Sanskrit कृमि, from Proto-Indo-Aryan kŕ̥miṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-European kʷŕ̥mis — worm.
Ancestry of “kermès”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Persian | قرمز | kermes insect; crimson, scarlet, vermillion, red;... |
| 2 | Arabic | قِرْمِز | crimson, kermes; kermes |
| 3 | Persian | کرمست | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | कृमिज | produced by worms |
| 5 | Sanskrit | कृमि | a worm, insect; "a spider"; a silk-worm |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | kŕ̥miṣ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | kŕ̥miš | worm |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷŕ̥mis | worm |