is a literal translation from the Septuagint ( = kókkinon, meaning "scarlet"). The original Hebrew text (tola'at shani) translates to "scarlet worm", indicating that the scarlet color is derived from an insect, a requirement which was formalized in the Jerusalem Talmud (Kila'im 9:1 [32a]). This insect, generally mistaken for a plant, was known in the Roman world as grani coccum = "the grain of scarlet."

While production of the crimson or scarlet dye from the