How did colors get their names? Not just the basics, but all the tints and hues. I mean, who decided that the word mauve represented that color? And who thought up the word purple? (Sorry, but I can only take in--perhaps--explanations for words used in English.)

A quick romp through the two words you mentioned shows that at least some of them are named for plants that may display those particular colors: mauve is French for mallow, whose blossom may be in the mauve range; and purple apparently comes from the Greek porphyra, a red algae/seaweed in the purplish range. In these cases it's hard to avoid non-English "roots".

Don't listen to Peter. There's an International Council of Words that approves all words for which there is perceived to be a need. And yes, even words like irregardless. If they haven't given their approval there would be no word, so kwitcherbitchin.

And, of course, what Faldage says.

The Wordnik Word of the Day for March 16, 2012 is

smaragdine
http://www.wordnik.com/words/smaragdine

(adj) Of a green color like that of smaragd—that is, of any brilliant green: an epithet used loosely and in different senses.

'Smaragdine' comes from the Greek 'smaragdos,' emerald.

Example:
"When my children ask me what is my favourite colour, I always reply smaragdine. I'm not particularly fond of emerald green, but it is one of those words you can roll around your mouth and savour like a good brandy."
--Words: smaragdine, adj., The Independent, August 18, 1998

The ICW was having an off-day that day. And if that's what the writer thinks is a good brandy I'd hate to try a bad brandy.

To Jackie: The names of colors come from so many different origins; plants, animals, minerals, or from someone who invented the color (van dyke brown, after the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). I love the obscurer names such as caput mortuum, gombadge, veridian, zinnober, but where the simple, the basic ones come from ( black, white, brown, red, * green, yellow and blue, that would be quite a LIU-task.

* Hooker's green we've recently discussed. These are all like they are written in English on artist paints tubes.

Most of these are pretty well understood. White comes from the PIE root kweit-, meaning 'white' or 'to shine'. Brown from PIE bher-, 'bright, brown'. Red from PIE reudh-, 'red, ruddy'. Green from PIE ghre-, 'to grow, become green'. Yellow from PIE ghel-, 'to shine'; its yellow sense probably coming from its meaning 'gold'. Blue and black, interestingly, come from PIE bhel-, 'white'.

Thank you very much for putting these together.

Blue and black, interestingly, come from PIE bhel-, 'white'.
Find this ìs interesting for both black and white are the 3 primary colors together. Black absorbing all light and white reflecting it. ( somewhat like that.. )

Blue is a mystery then? Allright, the color of heaven.

There are bhel- and kweit- both meaning white?