Colorful Vocabulary

colors, cognates, connotations, and cultural references

red
Spanish: rojo
German: rot
French: rouge
Japanese: 赤 Aka
Korean: 빨간색
Phrases and words with red in them
• red-eye (n.) is an airplane flight which deprives
travelers of sleep-from the red eyes of
sleeplessness (1968)

• red-handed (adj.) is from a murderer caught in the

act with blood-stained hands (1781)

• red-hot (adj.) is from the late 14th century and

means "heated till it glows red."
Have you ever
eaten these
foods?
All these items taste hot. They
kind of taste RED, don’t they?
I mean, if RED had a taste.
Red has traditionally been associated with courage and love in
Western culture.

In China, red is the color of happiness and good fortune.

orange
Spanish: naranja
German: orange
French: orange
Portugese: laranja
Italian: arancia
 Agent Orange

• This is a powerful defoliant used by U.S. military in

the Vietnam War. It got its name from the color
strip on the side of the container.

• The use of Agent Orange was banned in April 1970.

• Parkinson's disease among Vietnam era veterans has

been associated with exposure to Agent Orange.

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/171241-agent-
orange-chemical-side-effects/#ixzz2gyRqVPF0
 Here’s a phrase for you...

• If two people or
things are like
“apples and orange
s,” they are
completely
different.
yellow
Spanish: amarillo
German: gelb
French: jaune
Arabic:‫ر‬C‫صف‬C‫أ‬
Swahili: njano
 Phrases and
words with yellow
• yellow (adj): a person who is “yellow” is a coward. This word comes from
the Old English “geoluwian.”

• yellow ribbon (n): signifies compassion with loved ones or fellow citizens at
war. The symbol originated during the U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Iran
in 1979.

• The city of Amarillo is known as "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and gets its
name from the yellow soil near the water sources.
Spanish: verde
German: grün
French: vert
Swedish: grön
Hindi: गर् ीन
green
 Phrases and words
with green in them
• green (adj.) means "environmental" (1972)

• greenback (n.) is U.S. bank paper money printed in

green ink (1778)

• green (adj) can also mean immature (1753)

 Did you know?
Green is a color that has both positive and
negative connotations.

Positive: Spring, prosperity, and clean,

fertility, and fresh air

Negative: mold, nausea, poison, and

jealousy.

The Incredible Hulk was colored green so

the artist would not offend any one race.
blue
Spanish: azul
German: blau
French: bleu
Afrikaans: blou
Haitian Creole: ble This is the Great Blue Hole,
located off the coast of
Belize, Central America.
Phrases and words with blue in them
• blueprint (n.) means a "detailed plan" goes back as far as 1882. It usually
refers to building plans.

• bluegrass (n.) is a music style from the 1950‘s and is named after the "blue"
grass famous in Kentucky. Kentucky has been called the Bluegrass State
since at least 1872.

• blue collar worker (n.) is a term that comes from the common color of men’s
work shirts. A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs
manual labor. (1949)

• blue moon (n.) 1821 is a term which means "very rarely." According to a
recent definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month.
(1528)
 Notes on blue:
Because it's associated with the
color of the sea and the sky,
blue has come to symbolize
serenity and infinity.

That's especially true of the more

greenish shades of blue, such as
aqua and teal.

Blue can have a tendency to

indicate feelings of sadness.
Purple
Spanish: morado
German: lila
French: violet
Afrikaans: purpur
Albanian: vjolicë
Aymara: kulli
Note: There is no common word for purple in Swahili.
 The History of Purple
• purple (n., adj.) comes from the Latin “purpura” and refers
to "shellfish from which purple was made".

• These shellfish were very rare and only the rich could afford
the time to collect them. Because of the exclusiveness of
the shellfish, the dye was used only for royal garments.

• Purple Heart (n.) refers to the U.S. decoration for service

members wounded in combat (1932). George Washington
originally gave the Purple Heart for merit on August 7,
1782. It was called the Badge of Military Merit.
Badge of Military Merit
Purple Heart
Colors have...
connotations
histories
Meanings
and symbolism.