A Dictionary of Colour: A Lexicon of the Language of Colour

528 Pages·2005·1.02 MB·English

by  Ian Paterson

A L E X I C O N O F T H E L A N G U A G E O F C O L O U R
A DICTIONARY OF
COLOUR
I A N P A T E R S O N
Inside front cover
A L E X I C O N O F T H E L A N G U A G E O F C O L O U R
A DICTIONARY OF
COLOUR
I A N P A T E R S O N
First published by Thorogood Publishing Ltd
2003. First paperback edition 2004.
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© Ian Paterson 2003
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The purest and most
thoughtful minds are
those which
love
colour
the most
JOHN RUSKIN (1819-1900)
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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
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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 Color3rd 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.
I N T R O D U C T I O N 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 D I C T I O N A R Y O F C O L O U R