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: [email protected] 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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The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which colourlove the most 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 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. INTRODUCTION 1 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. 2 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR In advertising and marketing, colour is used to grab our attention and to stimulate us by reference to the many psychological and physiological responses to colour, as well as the appeal which colour provides for our emotions. We all instinctively appreciate the dimension which colour can bring to product packaging and which it is difficult to create by any other means. Colour can serve to reinforce the identity of products, trademarks, logos and brand images and to create pleasing or favourable associations in the minds of consumers. Colours are used to indicate those prisoners who are considered prone to escape; to differentiate one team from another in all manner of sporting activities; to enable us to play snooker and card games. Colour is used as a means of indicating status – for example, purple for nobility – and colour has throughout time served as a potent source of symbolism in all cultures. In short, colour is a powerful shorthand for conveying ideas and information. In deciding on the parameters of this work it soon became apparent to me that I could not limit myself merely to words which indicate or touch upon colour. Colour cannot exist without light. Hence, I have incorporated all the words I can find which refer to light or illumination. That, of course, naturally leads onto words of darkness and to words of shadow and obscurity, and thence to words indicating markings or patterns, all of which I have sought to include. I have, however, stopped short of including entries for animals, plants and flowers whose names include a colour since there are too many of these. I have also held back from including the plethora of fancy names created by paint manufacturers and others. Almost all the colours in this vocabulary can be found in English dictionaries. The extent to which colour occupies and influences us can be illustrated by reference to the large number of common phrases referring to colour used in daily speech, many of which are included in Appendix one. I would hope that this work might also be used as a resource for wordsmiths, crossword addicts and word game aficionados for whom Appendix two and Appendix three with their lists of colours may prove useful.