cochineal (n.)

  1. a red dyestuff consisting of dried bodies of female cochineal insects

  2. Mexican red scale insect that feeds on cacti; the source of a red dye

    [ Syn: cochineal insect , dactylopius coccus ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.