Colors

1. Red

   Usage

   From Old English "rēad". English color adjectives never change form — "red" stays "red" for all nouns

2. Orange

   Usage

   The color "orange" is named after the fruit. Before the word arrived in English (15th c.), reddish-yellow was called "geoluhread" (yellow-red)

3. Yellow

   Usage

   From Old English "ġeolu"; related to the Proto-Indo-European root for "shine/yellow", cognate with "gold"

4. Green

   Usage

   From Old English "grēne", sharing a root with "grow" — green has long been associated with nature and growth

5. Navy

   Navy / Dark blue

   Usage

   "Navy blue" comes from the color of British Royal Navy uniforms standardized in the mid-18th century

6. Sky blue

   Usage

   "Sky blue" literally means the blue of a clear sky. Similar terms: "baby blue" (very light blue), "powder blue"

7. Purple

   Usage

   Ancient purple dye from murex sea snails was incredibly expensive, making it a symbol of royalty. "Born in the purple" means of royal birth

8. Pink

   Usage

   The color "pink" is named after the flower Dianthus (called "pink" for its pinked/jagged petals). Not recorded as a color until the 17th century

9. Brown

   Usage

   From Old English "brūn", related to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "bright/burning". "Bruin" (brown bear) shares this etymology

10. White

    Usage

    From Old English "hwīt". Related to PIE root meaning "bright/white" — cognate with "wheat" (for its pale color)

11. Black

    Usage

    From Old English "blæc" (black, dark). Curiously shares a root with "bleak" — both relating to pale or absent light

12. Gray

    Gray / Grey

    Usage

    Spelled "gray" in American English and "grey" in British English. From Old English "grǣg". Both spellings are correct

13. Blue

    Usage

    The basic word for blue; shades are named by adding a word, as in "navy" (dark) and "sky blue" (light)

Browse all TravelPhrases languages