The word white continues Old English hwīt, ultimately from a Common Germanic *χwītaz also

reflected in OHG (h)wîz, ON hvítr, Goth. ƕeits. The root is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European
language *kwid-, surviving also in Sanskrit śveta "to be white or bright"[3] and
Slavonic světŭ "light".[4][5] The Icelandic word for white, hvítur, is directly derived from the Old
Norse form of the word hvítr. Common Germanic also had the word *blankaz ("white, bright,
blinding"), borrowed into Late Latin as *blancus, which provided the source for Romancewords
for "white" (Catalan, Occitan and French blanc, Spanish blanco, Italian bianco, Galician-
Portuguese branco, etc.). The antonym of white is black.
Some non-European languages have a wide variety of terms for white. The Inuit language has
seven different words for seven different nuances of white. Sanskrit has specific words for bright
white, the white of teeth, the white of sandalwood, the white of the autumn moon, the white of
silver, the white of cow's milk, the white of pearls, the white of a ray of sunlight, and the white of
stars. Japanese has six different words, depending upon brilliance or dullness, or if the color is
inert or dynamic.[6]

History and art

Prehistoric and ancient history
White was one of the first colors used in art. The Lascaux Cave in France contains drawings of
bulls and other animals drawn by paleolithic artists between 18,000 and 17,000 years
ago. Paleolithic artists used calcite or chalk, sometimes as a background, sometimes as a
highlight, along with charcoal and red and yellow ochre in their vivid cave paintings.[7][8]
In ancient Egypt, white was connected with the goddess Isis. The priests and priestesses of Isis
dressed only in white linen, and it was used to wrap mummies.[9]
In Greece and other ancient civilizations, white was often associated with mother's milk. In Greek
mythology, the chief god Zeus was nourished at the breast of the nymph Amalthea. In
the Talmud, milk was one of four sacred substances, along with wine, honey, and the rose.[10]
The ancient Greeks saw the world in terms of darkness and light, so white was a fundamental
color. According to Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, Apelles (4th century BC) and the other
famous painters of ancient Greece used only four colors in their paintings; white, red, yellow and
black;[11] For painting, the Greeks used lead white, made by a long and laborious process.
A plain white toga, known as a toga virilis, was worn for ceremonial occasions by all Roman
citizens over the age of 14–18. Magistrates and certain priests wore a toga praetexta, with a
broad purple stripe. In the time of the Emperor Augustus, no Roman man was allowed to appear
in the Roman forum without a toga.
The ancient Romans had two words for white; albus, a plain white, (the source of the
word albino); and candidus, a brighter white. A man who wanted public office in Rome wore a
white toga brightened with chalk, called a toga candida, the origin of the word candidate. The
Latin word candere meant to shine, to be bright. It was the origin of the
words candleand candid.[12]
In ancient Rome, the priestesses of the goddess Vesta dressed in white linen robes, a
white palla or shawl, and a white veil. They protected the sacred fire and the penates of Rome.
White symbolized their purity, loyalty, and chastity.[9]
 

Prehistoric paintings in Chauvet Cave, France (30,000 to 32,000 BC)

Painting of the goddess Isis (1380–1385 BC). The priests of her cult wore white linen.

Paintings of women in white from a tomb (1448–1422 BC).

 

Statue of the chief Vestal Virgin, wearing a white palla and a white veil.

Postclassical history
The early Christian church adopted the Roman symbolism of white as the color of purity, sacrifice
and virtue. It became the color worn by priests during Mass, the color worn by monks of
the Cistercian Order, and, under Pope Pius V, a former monk of the Dominican Order, it became
the official color worn by the pope himself. Monks of the Order of Saint Benedict dressed in the
white or gray of natural undyed wool, but later changed to black, the color of humility and
penitence.
Postclassical history art, the white lamb became the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of
mankind. John the Baptist described Christ as the lamb of God, who took the sins of the world
upon himself. The white lamb was the center of one of the most famous paintings of the Medieval
period, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck.[13]
White was also the symbolic color of the transfiguration. The Gospel of Saint Mark describes
Jesus' clothing in this event as "shining, exceeding white as snow." Artists such as Fra Angelico
used their skill to capture the whiteness of his garments. In his painting of the transfiguration at
the Convent of Saint Mark in Florence, Fra Angelico emphasized the white garment by using a
light gold background, placed in an almond-shaped halo.[14]
The white unicorn was a common subject of Postclassical history manuscripts, paintings and
tapestries. It was a symbol of purity, chastity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin.
It was often portrayed in the lap of the Virgin Mary.[15]
During the Postclassical history, painters rarely ever mixed colors; but in the Renaissance, the
influential humanist and scholar Leon Battista Alberti encouraged artists to add white to their
colors to make them lighter, brighter, and to add hilaritas, or gaiety. Many painters followed his
advice, and the palette of the Renaissance was considerably brighter.[16]