kermes
/ˈkɝ.miz/noun
kermes is spelled K-E-R-M-E-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kermes means “Any of several insects of the genus Kermes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in kermes?
| Letters | 6: K-E-R-M-E-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 43 million words; the 201,693rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is kermes?
Kermes appears about once in every 43 million words in written English, the 201,693rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce kermes?
- US /ˈkɝ.miz/
Kermes has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-kermes.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with kermes?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as kermes from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹmiz/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of kermes
- chermes
- chermez
- kermez
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kermes mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of several insects of the genus Kermes.
- 2
A crimson dye made from the crushed bodies of these insects.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kermes in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the insect or the dye – see also carmine:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | quermes |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does kermes come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).