A Dictionary of Colour - A Lexicon of the Language of Colour

[Greight]

Ian Paterson

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.
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.
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. The Times Crossword
of Friday 22 October 1999, for example, had two consecutive clues:
• ‘Earthy colour of old church attracting note’; and
• ‘Red pigment in drops sprayed around house’.
Even the recognition that these clues indicate colourwords would not make it
easy to find the answers (ochre and rhodopsin).
This work also serves as an observer of the way colourwords are used in syntax.
Writers always need ideas and refreshment and it is hoped that this Dictionary
might help to provide that elusive spark of inspiration vital to keep the creative
process going, particularly for those writing on subjects such as art, design,
fashion, furnishings, make-up or gardening. Finding the precise colour adjective
where there are so many nuances, might be made easier by referring to the list
in Appendix three.
Colour is involved in everything we do during our working hours and even
invades our dreams. But what is colour? There have been many theories over
the centuries as to the exact nature of colour but none of them is adequate to
explain all aspects of what colour is. The position is further complicated by the
fact that the dynamics of surface colour are very different from those principles
governing coloured light.
Colour is the sensation resulting from the light of different wavelengths reaching
our eyes. The colour of any object is determined by the extent of the absorption
of photons by its atoms. A black object absorbs nearly all the light directed onto
it whereas a white object reflects most of that light. A coloured object reacts
selectively to light energy – it absorbs protons of some wavelengths and reflects
others. An object which is green in colour, for example, will absorb photons from
the red to yellow range of the spectrum and reflect (thus enabling us to detect
them) photons on the green to violet range. The selection process will depend
on the particular pigments contained in that object. Caretonoids, for example,
reflect long wavelengths and absorb short wavelengths, so as to produce an orange
or pinkish colour. Haemoglobin produces red. Anthocyanin produces the colour
of rhubarb and beetroot. Dyes and paints are based on this idea. Some dyes form
a new compound with the molecules of the subject matter they are being used
to colour.
It is my intention that this work with its panoply of colourwords will provide both
an instructive and an entertaining opportunity to appreciate the richness of colour
and its many diverse applications through the ages and across the disciplines.
The study of colour and colour theory involves reference to many fields of study.
A thorough investigation of the subject will involve an understanding of physics
and chemistry, biology, medicine, the art of healing, computer sciences,
mathematics, psychology, physiology, philosophy, literature, art; the history of
art, aesthetics, heraldry, lexicography and language. This short work refers in
some measure to each of these disciplines and many more, but concentrates on
the last of them in celebration of our magnificent language.


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...........................................48 0
Appendix four: Adjectives of colour .................................................. .......505

موضوعات مشابه :

• [کتاب] A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language
• [کتاب] Games for Language Learning (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers)
• [کتاب] Pictures for Language Learning (Cambridge Handbook for Language Teachers)
• Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary (FoF Library of Language and Literature)
• Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistic