cochineal insect

noun

1. any of various small red scale insects of the family Dactylopiidae, related to the mealybugs and characterized by an oval segmented body with white waxy plates and short legs and antennae: the source of cochineal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cochineal insect¹

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

During this Era of Exploration, consumers also got their pink cheeks and lips from other pigments like carmine, derived from cochineal insects harvested in Central and South America under similar conditions.

From National Geographic

Reflectance imaging spectroscopy can also identify organic molecules like those found in cochineal insects that have been pulverized to produce a deep red pigment.

From New York Times

The study found coloring made from cochineal insects in orange fizzy drinks, Asian cochineal secretion in a strawberry ice cream and shiny red apples coated with insect resin.

From Reuters

The cochineal insect, a small parasite that feeds on the prickly pear cactus, was cultivated domestically in Mexico and Peru in pre-Hispanic times.

From New York Times

She ended up experimenting with early pigment sources like azurite minerals and cochineal insects, sources of rich blues and red hues.

From New York Times