Much like the linguistic phenomenon of similar sounds for the word “mama” across diverse languages, our words for the colors that grace our world exhibit a remarkable universality, bridging cultures and generations. Like the mother-child connection, colors are part of our first and most fundamental comprehension of the environment, and they ultimately constitute a cornerstone of human perception and experience. Interestingly, the English lexicon for colors has weathered the passage of time with remarkable stability, harking back to archaic spellings dating from as long ago as 4000 BC.
The Linguistic Path Traveled by Colors in English
The origins of most of our contemporary English color words can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) family of languages, which originated approximately 6,000 years ago. Over these six millennia, the PIE linguistic ancestor diverged into several major branches of languages, many of which form the foundations of global communications today. To name but a few, its Hellenic branch yielded Greek, the Germanic branch brought forth German, English, and Dutch, while the Italic branch gave birth to the “Romance Languages” like French, Italian, and Spanish. It is important to understand that Proto-Indo-European was not a specific language spoken or written by any single group, but rather a historical estimation used by linguists and scholars.
BLACK
The root of this color word can be traced back to the PIE word “bhleg,” which also meant “burnt” in ancient times. Remarkably, this fire-related word not only led to our modern notion of black but also to its diametric opposite – white. This is because some cultures interpreted the “burnt” concept to mean not charred, but rather the white-hot brilliance of flames. As such, “bhleg” led not only to the English word “black,” but French’s “blanc” for white, Spanish’s “blanco,” and even English referring to a white space as a “blank.”
RED
This color has long had vital significance for man and his ancestor species, as red, or “reudh” in PIE, was often associated with significant life experiences, such as encounters with fire, blood, and ripe fruits. Its symbolism maintains that same intensity, as it typically references not just love and passion, but also hatred and evil.
WHITE
Derived from the PIE word “แธฑweyt,” this evolved into the Old English word “hwฤซt” (pronounced more like wheat). While white conveys images of purity and cleanliness to English speakers, it symbolizes death in Chinese culture. Just as a typical English speaker would don black to mourn, a Chinese person would choose white attire.
BLUE
Despite us knowing blue as one of our three primary colors, many linguistic scholars believe that blue was one of the last colors to be recognized by numerous unrelated civilizations and languages, with black, white, red, green, yellow, and brown all typically coming first. In some cases, this was because blue was perceived as nothing more than a variant of green. For example, ancient Japanese works use the same word ้ to describe both green leaves and the blue sky. The ancient Greeks even referred to the sky as “bronze,” which some historians believe related to how the sky shimmered and shone like metal. Others believe that this bronze description was simply referring to the blue-green patina of old bronze, like the color of the weathered copper on the Statue of Liberty. The Proto-Indo-European root “bhlฤwos” can still be seen in English’s “blue,” along with the French “bleu,” Dutch “blauw,” and Swedish “blรฅ.”
BROWN
Our word “brown” is believed to have developed from the PIE word “bher,” and later the Germanic word brunoz. Some scholars believe this term led directly to the folk word for bear – a “bruin,” due to the color of a bear’s fur. The English word “brunette,” used for someone with brown hair, shares a similar root, as the word literally means “little brown” in French.
GREEN
The English term for green traces back to the Old English word “grฤne,” which signified both the color and something unripe or immature. This dual usage persists in modern English, where someone inexperienced in a field might be called “green.” Many modern agricultural terms in English also have “grฤne” roots, such as the words “grow,” “grass,” and “grain.”
YELLOW
Derived from the PIE word “ghel,” this word later transformed into the Old High German “gelo.” This color holds an interesting mixture of common associations for English speakers, as it is often associated with not only sunlight and holiness, but also caution.
ORANGE
Europeans previously referred to this shade as “yellow-red,” and it was not until the citrus fruit was brought from Asia on the Silk Road that the word “orange” entered our modern lexicon. Our English word is a direct adaptation of the Sanskrit word naranga, and this root can still be seen in the Spanish word naranja, the French orange, and the Dutch oranje.
PINK
Pink is a relatively recent addition to our named spectrum of colors, as during PIE times, pink was understood to be simply a lighter shade of red. It wasn’t until Old English and the term “pynca” that pink was recognized as a distinct color. Initially, this word referred only to small pink flowers, but later expanded to encompass the broader notion of the color pink. Interestingly, many other languages also trace their word for “pink” back to flowers, namely roses, with French, Spanish, German, and Italian all using “rosa,” and Russian employing “rozoviy.” The Japanese word ใใณใฏ (pinku) is a loanword from English and is used to describe the color of the cherry blossoms.
PURPLE
This color emerged later than other colors, due in part to its scarcity in nature. It can be linked back to the Latin word “purpura,” and throughout history, it has been associated with luxury and royalty. The original process of creating purple dye was extraordinarily intricate, requiring numerous murex shellfish, and this contributed to its exclusivity. Only the elites and royals could access this shade, and Roman Emperors were even known as the “Purple-born” (Porphyrogennetos) because they were born in the imperial palace, one of a select few locations where the color was used extensively.
The End of the Rainbow
The evolution of color names in the English language reveals the deep connections between language, culture, and human perception. From the fiery origins of black to the decadent associations of purple, colors’ linguistic pathways provide insights into the shared experiences and symbolism that have shaped our understanding of the world. Just as colors themselves can evoke emotions and memories, the words we use to describe them carry a rich history that spans millennia, reflecting the intricate tapestry of human civilization across the globe.
