Definition

1. Noun:
   • Cochineal: A small insect (Dactylopius coccus) that lives on cacti, from which a crimson or scarlet dye is extracted.
   • Centipede (archaic/obsolete usage): In older zoological classifications, the term was sometimes used to refer to a centipede.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Cochineal):

  • Thuốc nhuộm màu đỏ này được làm từ rệp son. (This red dye is made from cochineal.)
  • Rệp son được nuôi để sản xuất carmine. (Cochineal is farmed to produce carmine.)

• Noun (Centipede - obsolete):

  • Trong sách cũ, "rệp son" đôi khi dùng để chỉ một loài rết. (In old books, "rệp son" was sometimes used to refer to a type of centipede.)

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Biological Context: The term is primarily used in scientific, historical, or industrial contexts related to dye production.
  • Việc khai thác rệp son đã có từ thời cổ đại. (The harvesting of cochineal dates back to ancient times.)

Variants and Related Words

• Carmine / Cochineal extract: The red pigment or dye derived from the insect.
  • Carmine, có nguồn gốc từ rệp son, là một phụ gia thực phẩm. (Carmine, derived from cochineal, is a food additive.)

Synonyms

• Cochineal insect: The full English name for the insect.
• Dactylopius coccus: The scientific Latin name.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and modern meaning of 'rệp son' is the cochineal insect.
• The reference to centipede (scolopendre) is an archaic or obsolete zoological usage found in some older dictionaries (like Vietnamese-French) and is not common in contemporary Vietnamese. The modern Vietnamese word for centipede is "rết".

1. Cochineal