​Disclaimer - 
Not intended
for medical advice, 
​consult your doctor.

Color Names & Meaning - ​How did colors get their names?

Learning Objectives

1. How did colors get their names?
2. Do color names vary by country?
3. How do colors differ in languages?

Color Plants & Animals

Saffron Yellow -  orange Crocus flower stamens, used to flavor and tint rice in many Indian and Mediterranean foods. Considered the most important color in Hinduism, with significance in Buddhism as the color worn by monks of Theravada tradition. Chosen as one of three colors for the flag of India for their independence in 1947.

Cochineal Red - derived from a parasitic scale, Dactylopius coccus, insect infestation on the Opuntia, Prickley Pear, cactus native to Mexico. When crushed, this tiny creature emits a red dye used in lipstick.
​
Cadmium Red, Orange, and Yellow are made from the mineral Cadmium.

What are the basic color names?

RYB - Red Yellow Blue, used by artists in mixing paint.
Primary

• Yellow
• Red
• Blue

Secondary​ - also known as Complimentary - opposite on the color wheel with the primaries.

• Orange = Yellow  +  Red 
• Purple - Red  +  Blue
• Green = Blue  +  Yellow

Tertiary - combining adjacent primary & secondary

• Vermilion = Red + Orange
• Amber = Orange + Yellow
• Chartreuse - Yellow + Green
• Teal = Green + Blue
• Violet = Blue + Purple
• ​Magenta = Purple + Red

Color Meanings

Did you grow up in one country and then move to another? If you did, you may have experienced cultural color meanings that are different than you are used to.

For example:

Gold represents wealth in most cultures; however, too much of it could be interpreted as vulgar or in bad taste.

In the United States, red means danger - fire engines and stop signs. Black is for mourning and for serious business clothing.  White is the color for wedding brides.

In Japan, white is the color for grief and mourning., although also associated with  purity and truth. Grey is expressed as 'nezumi' meaning mouse, and can be described as purplish, greenish, light or dark.  Blue symbolizes luck and university students wear blue suits for job interviews.

Red is the most powerful of colors in Indian culture, explained in the article What Colors Mean in Other Cultures, Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/smartertravel/what-colors-mean-in-other_b_9078674.html

Colors have Positive and Negative Qualities

Color researcher, Faber Birren, in his 1962 book, Color in Your World, reviews mood associations with colors used in his book.  Although these associations change with fashion trends each year, this list shows the accepted associations in 1960's United States. [1]

Color	Agreeable Associations	Unpleasant Associations
Red	Exciting, stimulating, loving, powerful, strong, human, warm	Aggressive, disturbing, vulgar, sensuous, bloody, defiant, competitive
Orange	Friendly, jovial, incandescent, sociable	Intrusive, gaudy, blustering
Yellow	Sunny, cheerful, expectant, optimistic, expansive, radiant	Glaring, imperious, bilious, egocentric
Green	Tranquil, quiet, consoling, comfortable, natural	Commonplace, tiresome
Blue - Green	Tasteful, sensitive, fastidious, self-p0osessed	Vain, egotistical, self-centered, snobbish
Blue	Calm, comfortable, secure, serene	Depressing, melancholy, lonely, cold
Violet	Regal, exclusive, dignified, esthetic	Conceited, funeral, esoteric, pompous
Brown	Dependable, steady, reliable	Clumsy, boring, dour, stingy, obstinate
Pink	Dainty, sweet, gentle, tender	Effete, effeminate, saccharine
White	Innocent, hopeful, celestial, spiritual	Sterile, glaring, unemotional, bleak
Grey	Secure, peaceful, protective, safe	Dreary, tedious, passive, negative, colorless
Black	Sophisticated	Deathly, ominous, empty, fatal

Regional Color Names

Tribes, clans, communities, and sports teams are examples of groups who create identity and promote  loyalty with color and design.  In Scotland, a kilt and the plaid associated with a family name identify your clan. In the highlands of the South American Andes colorful embroidery signify family ties and history.

Pigments through the Ages
​http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/

Blue Green or Green Blue?

The name of a color gets tricky when two colors are needed to describe the color. Generally, the color listed last is the strongest color, with the color preceding it is the influencing color. Blue Green is more Green than Blue. Green Blue is more Blue than Green.
"​Terms such as "apple green", "leaf green", "cerise", "mauve" and "scarlet" mean one thing to one person and something else to another. Thus, some standardized color-nomenclature system is essential to learn the color differences that determine desirability and relative value." [2]

Cochineal 

Lipstick red, or carmine dye, comes from the cochineal insect that lives on the Opuntia cactus, still harvested today  in Peru and Mexico.
For more information on Cochineal see Color In Fashion

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Footnotes

1. Color in Your World  by Faber Birren, 1962 book, page 10.
2. Colored Gemstone Guide - http://www.gemstones-guide.com/Color-of-Gemstones.html​

Photo Credits

• Colored Gemstone Wheel - http://www.gemstones-guide.com/Color-of-Gemstones.html
  
• ​Collecting Cochineal  - By José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez (21 November 1737 – 2 February 1799 was a priest in Mexico, scientist, historian, cartographer, and journalist.

Related Topics

Color Blindness, Synesthesia & Chromesthesia
Color Therapy, Migraine Headaches and Light, Color Perception is Individual,
​Color in Fashion,