Colour Terms This list contains 168 definitions of obscure colour terms using combinations of 'normal' colours of the rainbow and descriptive adjectives; e.g. cardinal = deep scarlet red; russet = reddish brown. Note that most English speakers outside the U.S. spell colour with the added British 'u' rather than the American version color. Don't worry if the colours (or colors) in your universe don't match up with the definitions I've given for these words, though - I've been known to have skewed perceptions of reality ...

Word Definition aeneous shining bronze colour albicant whitish; becoming white albugineous like the white of an eye or an egg; white-coloured amaranthine immortal; undying; deep purple-red colour argent the heraldic colour silver or white atrous jet black aubergine eggplant; a dark purple colour aurulent gold-coloured azuline blue azure light or sky blue; the heraldic colour blue badious chestnut-coloured beige light creamy white-brown brunneous dark brown burnet dark brown; dark woollen cloth caesious bluish or greyish green cardinal deep scarlet red colour castaneous chestnut-coloured castory brown colour; brown dye derived from beaver pelts celadon pale green; pale green glazed pottery celeste sky blue cerulean sky-blue; dark blue; sea-green cesious bluish-grey chartreuse yellow-green colour chlorochrous green-coloured chrysochlorous greenish-gold cinerious ashen; ash-grey cinnabar red crystalline mercuric sulfide pigment; deep red or scarlet colour citreous lemon-coloured; lemony citrine dark greenish-yellow claret dark red-purple colour; a dark-red wine coccineous bright red columbine of or like a dove; dove-coloured coquelicot brilliant red; poppy red corbeau blackish green cramoisy crimson cretaceous of or resembling chalk; of a whitish colour croceate saffron-coloured cyaneous sky blue eau-de-nil pale green colour eburnean of or like ivory; ivory-coloured erythraean reddish colour ferruginous of the colour of rust; impregnated with iron filemot dead-leaf colour; dull brown flammeous flame-coloured flavescent yellowish or turning yellow fuliginous sooty; dusky; soot-coloured; of or pertaining to soot fulvous dull yellow; tawny fuscous brown; tawny; dingy gamboge reddish-yellow colour glaucous sea-green; greyish-blue goldenrod dark golden yellow greige of a grey-beige colour gridelin violet-grey griseous pearl-grey or blue-grey; grizzled haematic blood-coloured heliotrope purplish hue; purplish-flowered plant; ancient sundial; signalling mirror hoary pale silver-grey colour; grey with age hyacinthine of a blue or purple colour ianthine violet-coloured ibis large stork-like bird; a pale apricot colour icterine yellowish or marked with yellow icteritious jaundiced; yellow incarnadine carnation-coloured; blood-red indigo deep blue-violet colour; a blue-violet dye infuscate clouded or tinged with brown; obscured; cloudy brown colour isabelline greyish yellow jacinthe orange colour jessamy yellow like a jasmine kermes brilliant red colour; a red dye derived from insects khaki light brown or tan lateritious brick-red leucochroic white or pale-coloured liard grey; dapple-grey lovat grey-green; blue-green lurid red-yellow; yellow-brown luteolous yellowish luteous golden-yellow lutescent yellowish madder red dye made from brazil wood; a reddish or red-orange colour magenta reddish purple maroon brownish crimson mauve light bluish purple mazarine rich blue or reddish-blue colour melanic black; very dark melichrous having a honey-like colour meline canary-yellow miniaceous colour of reddish lead minium vermilion; red lead modena crimson morel dark-coloured horse; blackish colour nacarat bright orange-red nankeen buff-coloured; durable buff-coloured cotton nigricant of a blackish colour nigrine black niveous snowy; white ochre yellowish or yellow-brown colour ochroleucous yellowish white olivaceous olive-coloured or heraldic colour gold or yellow pavonated peacock-blue periwinkle a bluish or azure colour; a plant with bluish flowers perse dark blue or bluish-grey; cloth of such a colour phoeniceous bright scarlet-red colour piceous like pitch; inflammable; reddish black plumbeous leaden; lead-coloured ponceau poppy red porphyrous purple porraceous leek-green prasinous leek-green colour primrose pale yellow puccoon blood-root; dark red colour puce brownish-purple; purplish-pink puniceous bright or purplish red purpure heraldic colour purple purpureal purple pyrrhous reddish; ruddy rhodopsin visual purple rubiginous rusty-coloured rubious ruby red; rusty rufous reddish or brownish-red russet reddish brown sable black; dark; of a black colour in heraldry saffron orange-yellow sage grey-green colour sanguineous bloody; of, like or pertaining to blood; blood-red sapphire deep pure blue sarcoline flesh-coloured sepia fine brown sinopia preparatory drawing for a fresco; reddish-brown colour slate dull dark blue-grey smalt deep blue smaragdine emerald green solferino purplish red sorrel reddish-brown; light chestnut spadiceous chestnut-coloured stammel coarse woollen fabric, usually dyed red; bright red colour stramineous strawy; light; worthless; straw-coloured suede light beige sulphureous bright yellow tan tawny brown taupe brownish-grey tawny brownish-yellow teal greenish-blue terracotta reddish-brown testaceous of or having a hard shell; brick-red tilleul pale yellowish-green titian red-gold or reddish-brown topaz dark yellow turquoise blue-green ultramarine deep blue umber brownish red vermeil bright red or vermilion colour; gilded silver vermilion bright red vinaceous wine-coloured vinous deep red; burgundy violaceous violet-coloured violet bluish purple virescent becoming green or greenish; of a greenish colour virid green viridian chrome green vitellary bright yellow wallflower yellowish-red watchet pale blue wheaten the golden colour of ripe wheat whey off-white willowish of the colour of willow leaves xanthic yellow; yellowish zinnober chrome green



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