a dictionary of colour a lexicon of the language of colour

A LEXICON OF THE LANGUAGE OF COLOUR A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR IAN PATERSON Inside front cover A LEXICON OF THE LANGUAGE OF COLOUR A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR IAN PATERSON First published by Thorogood Publishing Ltd 2003. First paperback edition 2004. Thorogood Publishing Ltd 10-12 Rivington Street London EC2A 3DU Telephone: 020 7749 4748 Fax: 020 7729 6110 Email: info@thorogood.ws Web: www.thorogood.ws © Ian Paterson 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. 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For more information contact Thorogood by telephone on 020 7749 4748, by fax on 020 7729 6110, or email us: info@thorogood.ws colour love the most The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which JOHN RUSKIN (1819-1900) Blank Contents Introduction 1 References and abbreviations 6 Dictionary entries 8 Appendix one: Colour phrases 433 Appendix two: The colours in alphabetical order 455 Appendix three: The colours in colour order 480 Appendix four: Adjectives of colour 505 Blank 1INTRODUCTION Introduction Any attempt to define any particular colour merely by means of words is doomed to failure. We can illustrate the general nature of any particular colour by reference to an object having the same quality (which begs the question) or by reference to its wavelength (which is of interest only as a matter of physics) or by reference to another colour (which becomes circular). For example, ‘Purple’ is defined in the new Oxford Dictionary as ‘a colour intermediate between red and blue’. Blue is defined as ‘a colour intermediate between green and violet’ and violet is ‘a bluish-purple colour’. This work variously employs each of the above methods, but not with a view to providing definitions of colours. The vocabulary of colour is far too imprecise to make that objective a realistic one. The best way to indicate the ‘meaning’ of a particular colour word is to display its actual colour. Many works have embarked on that task including, in particular, Maerz and Paul (A. Maerz and M. R. Paul, A Dictionary of Color 3rd Edition, New York, McGraw Hill, 1953). However, there is an infinite number of colours and shades, hues and tints (some suggest as many as 16 million) so that it would obviously not be possible to provide each of them with a distinct name. Furthermore, those colour descriptions which do exist do not have a sufficiently exact meaning to enable any colour to be determined with precision. No colour description in word form can convey the information necessary to enable the precise shade and tone to be identified. Indeed, some colour names included in this Dictionary have several different (and sometimes conflicting) meanings. This is only partly due to the fact that our language is in a constant state of flux. It is also as a result of the fact that the perception of colour is a highly subjective matter. Colour is nothing without sight and sight is the only sense by which we can experience colour. We experience most other stimulae through two or more senses each corroborating the other. We can, for example, both hear and feel sound and we can see, feel and smell heat. We do not have that support system with colour. Furthermore, what I interpret as being green in colour may occur to you as blue. Rather, the purpose of this work is to provide a treasury of words of, or concerning colour, and to do so in a way which is inviting enough to encourage readers to dabble. 2 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR Single subject dictionaries are grossly under-utilised, particularly as an introduction to the subject. All too frequently this powerful resource is dusted down and used in a one-off search for a definition after which it is immediately returned to its place on the shelf. A good dictionary should be regarded as a foreign land calling out for exploration and to which each visit is a journey of discovery, each dictionary entry drawing one onto the next, sucking in the reader and making it difficult for him to leave. I hope that this work might serve just such a purpose and will attract visitors to stay and explore rather than merely to pay a flying visit. I would hope that this Dictionary, touching on the whole spectrum of colour relevance, will serve as an invaluable resource for art students and students of colour, although it is neither a technical exposition of the many facets of colour nor a guide on how to use colour. Much of what colour has to offer might appear to some of us as superficial and even banal. It might be thought that colour merely constitutes an alternative to black and white. Colour may merely be associated with fripperies such as cosmetics and fashion or with football shirts, the colour of the car or decorating the hall. Does colour really matter? Does it really deserve study and attention? Well, yes it does. Not only is colour the stuff of art and a vital constituent of our everyday lives, but without it the most important discoveries and advancements of the 20th century would not have been possible. As Leonard Shlain in Art & Physics, New York, Morrow, 1991 explains, colour has provided the key which has made it possible for scientists to determine the elements of distant stars; to verify that our universe is expanding; to understand electro-magnetic fields; to penetrate the complexities of quantum mechanics and to work out the composition of the atom. Dabbling in this Dictionary will immediately indicate the important role which colour performs in our everyday lives. Colour is used not merely to decorate or to adorn. It provides us with a means of distinction. Colour is nature’s way of helping animals to avoid predators; to attract mates; of showing when fruit is ripe to eat or when it is rotten. Colours serve the everyday function of giving us instructions in an effective and simple way – such as with traffic lights. Colours provide a simple and immediate way to convey the degree or seriousness of situations such as flood warnings, traffic congestion, danger and security alerts, to highlight differences and to make it easier to assimilate information whether in written form or on a computer or monitor. Colour is used as a means of diagnosing illness or indicating the seriousness of a particular medical condition. Doctors have, for example, recently discovered that the colour of the spit of patients can show the severity of their lung disease. [...]... diagnose the existence of colour- blindness and to measure its severity n anotta, anotto, anatto, anato, anatta, annatto, arnotto, arnatto, achiote, achote, notty A natural orange-red dye from Central America; also used as a food additive for colouring cheese and margarine (annatto E160(b)) c antelope The colour of the antelope Having regard to the fact that there are so many different varieties of antelope... colour a alutaceous Having the colour of white leather c amadou brown A dark reddish-brown c amaranth The reddish-purple or deep crimson colour of the leaves of the Amarantus The words amarantin, amarantine and amaranthine, signifying ‘fadeless’, ‘immortal’ or ‘unwithering’, refer to Pliny’s imaginary and never fading amaranth flower Also a purple food additive (E123) pr amauro- (L) Dark 18 A D I C... expression meaning after it has become dark rather than after it has ceased to be dark n afterglow The glow remaining after the disappearance of light, in particular, in the sky after sunset n after-image The sensation of colour remaining after the stimulus has ceased where, for example, one stares at an image or object and then looks away to a white surface The shape remains fixed for a while Often, the colour. .. ash-blond(e) As regards hair, a light blonde colour; someone having this colour of hair c ash-coloured Having the colour of ash, namely, whitish grey or brownish grey a ashen Having the same colour as ash; having a very pale complexion; like ash, grey, pale; whitish grey c ashes of roses A pinkish-grey colour a ashy Grey; ash-coloured c asparagus The green colour of asparagus; also referred to as ‘asparagus-green’... with a very high tinting quality used in making printing inks n alkanet An ancient red or orange dye from the roots of the Mediterranean plant of the same name and of the same genus as the alcanna Also called ‘anchusa’ See henna n alkannin A natural bronze-coloured pigment 16 A D I C T I O N A R Y O F C O L O U R n alkaptonuria A rare inherited disease in which urine and ear wax when exposed to the air... D C B A aal A red dye from the plant of the same name related to the madder plant (and a useful word for word game players) n abaiser Ivory black n abozzo, abbozzo An underpainting in one colour; a sketch c absinthe, absinth The light green colour of the potent liqueur of the same name which was banned in France in 1915 because of its effect on health and the performance of French troops at the beginning... having no colouring pigment in the skin, hair or eyes; plants whose leaves do not develop chlorophyll Hence, ‘albiness’, a female albino a albinotic Having the characteristics of an albino n albocracy Government by white people; see also chromatocracy n alcanna, alcana The reddish orange body dye from the Oriental plant of the same name which is of the same family as the European alkanet plant n aldehyde... violet (1860) and aniline blue (1862) the manufacture of which kickstarted the chemical industry and in particular the companies we now know as Bayer, CibaGeigy and BASF n aniline leather Leather which has been dyed with aniline dyestuff rather than by means of pigment and which, as a result, brings out the natural grain of the leather c aniline red See aniline, fuchsine and magenta n anomalscope Testing... heraldry); from the Greek meaning ‘preventing intoxication’ a characteristic once ascribed to the stone of the same name a amethystine Having the colour of amethyst n ampelitis An ancient black pigment made from burnt vine branches a amphichroic Having a dual effect when a colour test is applied n analogous colours Colours which appear close to or adjacent to each other on a colour wheel n anchusa See... allochroous Multicoloured or changing colour a allochroic Changing in colour a allochromatic Referring to a change of colour; as regards minerals, having no colour n allura red AC A red food additive used typically in cakes and biscuits (E129) a all-white ‘all’ is often used in conjunction with a particular colour to indicate an absence of any colour other than the one indicated c almagra Deep red ochre . A LEXICON OF THE LANGUAGE OF COLOUR A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR IAN PATERSON Inside front cover A LEXICON OF THE LANGUAGE OF COLOUR A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR IAN PATERSON First published. way to indicate the ‘meaning’ of a particular colour word is to display its actual colour. Many works have embarked on that task including, in particular, Maerz and Paul (A. Maerz and M. R. Paul,. conflicting) meanings. This is only partly due to the fact that our language is in a constant state of flux. It is also as a result of the fact that the perception of colour is a highly subjective matter. Colour