A rich, deep crimson or purplish-red color; luxury fabric of this color, often made of silk or wool.
From Arabic 'qirmizī' (crimson), which came into European languages via French 'cramoisie.' The word traveled along trade routes from the Middle East.
Cramasie was so expensive in medieval times that only nobles and clergy could afford it—the dye came from insects and had to be imported from distant lands!
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