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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.)
Last edited by Jackie; 03/16/12 02:02 AM.
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old hand
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old hand
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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".
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Carpal Tunnel
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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.
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old hand
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And, of course, what Faldage says.
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Carpal Tunnel
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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
----please, draw me a sheep----
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Carpal Tunnel
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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.
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Carpal Tunnel
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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.
Last edited by BranShea; 03/16/12 06:33 PM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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where the simple, the basic ones come from ( black, white, brown, red, * green, yellow and blue, that would be quite a LIU-task. 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'.
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Thank you very much for putting these together. Blue and black, interestingly, come from PIE bhel-, 'white'. Find this ěs 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? 
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