168 Color terms in English
Compiled by Stephen Chrisomalis
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 | a dull greenish or brownish-yellow colour, mid 19th century: from Urdu khākī ‘dust-coloured’, from khāk ‘dust’, from Persian. |
| 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 |
SOURCE
4 responses to “168 Color terms in English”
I would love to hear from you
AWARDS
Just English 
Very nice 🙂
Wonderful!!!!! Especially for us folks who are in the design biz!!!!
Excellent list! I write fiction, all with a visual art component. Thank you!
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful & it
helped me out much. I am hoping to give something back and help others such as you helped me.