Color: Meanings, Facts, and Resources
What Does the Color Black Mean
Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.
Fun Facts About The Color Black
- The ancient Egyptians and Romans used black for mourning, as do most Europeans and Americans today.
- The “Blackshirts” were the security troops in Hitler’s German army, also known as the S.S.
- Black often stands for secrecy.
- Black humor is morbid or unhealthy and gloomy humor.
- A “blackhearted” person is evil.
- If a business is “in the black,” it is making money.
- A “blacklist” is a list of persons or organizations to be boycotted or punished.
- Black is associated with sophistication and elegance. A “black tie” event is formal.
- A black belt in karate identifies an expert.
- A black flag in a car race is the signal for a driver to go to the pits.
- A blackguard is a scoundrel.
- The ancient Egyptians believed that black cats had divine powers.
- Black lung is a coal miner’s disease caused by the frequent inhaling of coal dust.
- Blackmail is getting things by threat.
- Black market is illegal trade in goods or money.
- A black sheep is an outcast.
- “Blackwash” is to uncover or bring out in the light.
- A blackout is a period of darkness from the loss of electricity, for protection against nighttime air raids, or, in the theater, to separate scenes in a play.
- When you “black out,” you temporarily lose consciousness.
What Does the Color White Mean
Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.
Fun Facts About The Color White
- A white flag is the universal symbol for truce.
- White means mourning in China and Japan.
- Angels are usually depicted wearing white robes.
- The ancient Greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams.
- The Egyptian pharaohs wore white crowns.
- The ancient Persians believed all gods wore white.
- A “white elephant” is a rare, pale elephant considered sacred to the people of India, Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka; in this country, it is either a possession that costs more than it is worth to keep or an item that the owner doesn’t want but can’t get rid of.
- It’s considered good luck to be married in a white garment.
- White heat is a state of intense enthusiasm, anger, devotion, or passion.
- To whitewash is to gloss over defects or make something seem presentable that isn’t.
- A “white knight” is a rescuer.
- A white list contains favored items.
- A “whiteout” occurs when there is zero visibility during a blizzard.
- A “white sale” is a sale of sheets, towels, and other bed and bath items.
- A “whited sepulcher” is a person who is evil inside but appears good on the outside, a hypocrite.
- “White lightning” is slang for moonshine, a homebrewed alcohol.
- A white room is a clean room as well as a temperature-controlled, dust-free room for precision instruments.
- White water is the foamy, frothy water in rapids and waterfalls.
What Does the Color Red Mean
The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.
The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.
Fun Facts About The Color Red
- For the ancient Romans, a red flag was a signal for battle.
- Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red.
- The ancient Egyptians considered themselves a red race and painted their bodies with red dye for emphasis.
- In Russia, red means beautiful. The Bolsheviks used a red flag as their symbol when they overthrew the tsar in 1917. That is how red became the color of communism.
- In India, red is the symbol for a soldier.
- In South Africa, red is the color of mourning.
- It’s considered good luck to tie a red bow on a new car.
- In China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding color. Chinese babies are given their names at a red-egg ceremony.
- Superstitious people think red frightens the devil.
- A “red-letter day” is one of special importance and good fortune.
- In Greece, eggs are dyed red for good luck at Easter time.
- To “paint the town red” is to celebrate.
- Red is the color most commonly found in national flags.
- In the English War of the Roses, red was the color of the House of Lancaster, which defeated the House of York, symbolized by the color white.
- The “Redshirts” were the soldiers of the Italian leader Garibaldi, who unified modern Italy in the nineteenth century.
- To “see red” is to be angry.
- A “red herring” is a distraction, something that takes attention away from the real issue.
- A “red eye” is an overnight airplane flight.
- If a business is “in the red,” it is losing money.
What did Red Mean in Ancient Times
Reds were mordant dyes; they required the use of a fixative to create an insoluble color that would remain true. Henna, a shrub, and madder, a root, were mixed with alum (a sulphate of aluminum and potassium) to render a color family far less intense than the red we know today. A species of female scale insect, kermes, was used by the Egyptians and produced a more vivid red. Similarly, cochineal dye was used by the Aztecs with great effort (70,000 insects for one pound of dye) and to great effect, ultimately becoming Mexico’s most lucrative export after silver.
What Does the Color Blue Mean
The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.
Fun Facts About The Color Blue
- In ancient Rome, public servants wore blue. Today, police and other public servants wear blue.
- In Iran, blue is the color of mourning.
- Blue was used as protection against witches, who supposedly dislike the color.
- If you are “true blue,” you are loyal and faithful.
- Blue stands for love, which is why a bride carries or wears something blue on her wedding day.
- A room painted blue is said to be relaxing.
- “Feeling blue” is feeling sad. “Blue devils” are feelings of depression.
- Something “out of the blue” is from an unknown source at an unexpected time.
- A bluebook is a list of socially prominent people.
- The first prize gets a blue ribbon.
- A blue blood is a person of noble descent.
- “Into the blue” means into the unknown.
- A “bluenose” is a strict, puritanical person.
- A “bluestocking” used to be a scholarly or highly knowledgeable woman.
- The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore blue for protection against evil.
- The “blues” is a style of music derived from southern African-American secular songs. It influenced the development of rock, R&B, and country music.
- “Blue laws” are used to enforce moral standards.
- A blue ribbon panel is a group of especially qualified people.
What did Blue Mean in Ancient Times
Blues and purples were known as vat dyes. Indigo and woad, a European flowering herb of the mustard family, were used to make blue dyes. These plants required lengthy immersion in an alkaline solution of ash, lime, or most commonly, urine, which turned them into a water-soluble salt. The fabric was then left to air-dry; oxidation made the blue color fast.
What Does the Color Green Mean
Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in “green rooms” to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.
Fun Facts About The Color Green
- Only one national flag is a solid color: the green flag of Libya.
- Ancient Egyptians colored the floors of their temples green.
- In ancient Greece, green symbolized victory.
- In the highlands of Scotland, people wore green as a mark of honor.
- Green is the national color of Ireland.
- A “greenback” is slang for a U.S. dollar bill.
- Green means “go.” When “all systems are green,” it means everything is in order.
- The green room of a concert hall or theater is where performers relax before going onstage.
- The “green-eyed monster” is jealousy.
- A greenhorn is a newcomer or unsophisticated person.
- Green is youthful.
- Being “green around the gills” is looking pale and sickly.
- “Green with envy” means full of envy or jealousy.
- A person with a “green thumb” is good at making plants grow.
- A green, or common, is a town park.
- Green is a healing color, the color of nature.
What Does the Color Yellow Mean
Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.
Fun Facts About The Color Yellow
- In Egypt and Burma, yellow signifies mourning.
- In Spain, executioners once wore yellow.
- In India, yellow is the symbol for a merchant or farmer.
- In tenth-century France, the doors of traitors and criminals were painted yellow.
- Hindus in India wear yellow to celebrate the festival of spring.
- If someone is said to have a “yellow streak,” that person is considered a coward.
- In Japan during the War of Dynasty in 1357, each warrior wore a yellow chrysanthemum as a pledge of courage.
- A yellow ribbon is a sign of support for soldiers at the front.
- Yellow is a symbol of jealousy and deceit.
- In the Middle Ages, actors portraying the dead in a play wore yellow.
- To holistic healers, yellow is the color of peace.
- Yellow has good visibility and is often used as a color of warning. It is also a symbol for quarantine, an area marked off because of danger.
- “Yellow journalism” refers to irresponsible and alarmist reporting.
What did the Color Yellow Mean in Ancient Times
Colors in the yellow family were the least complicated. They were direct dyes, produced with little drama. Weld, the seeds, stems, and leaves of Dyer’s Rocket; and safflower, petals from Dyer’s Thistle, were used to create yellows.
What Does the Color Purple Mean
The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.
Fun Facts About The Color Purple
- The Egyptian queen Cleopatra loved purple. To obtain one ounce of Tyrian purple dye, she had her servants soak 20,000 Purpura snails for 10 days.
- In Thailand, purple is worn by a widow mourning her husband’s death.
- A “purple heart” is a U.S. military decoration for soldiers wounded or killed in battle.
- Purple is a royal color.
- Purple robes are an emblem of authority and rank.
- “Purple speech” is profane talk.
- “Purple prose” is writing that is full of exaggerated literary effects and ornamentation.
- Leonardo da Vinci believed that the power of meditation increases 10 times when done in a purple light, as in the purple light of stained glass.
- Purple in a child’s room is said to help develop the imagination according to color theory.
- Richard Wagner composed his operas in a room with shades of violet, his color of inspiration
What did Purple Mean in Ancient Times
At the other end of the financial (if not color) spectrum was the Tyrian, or royal, purple derived from the mucous gland of the murex, a mollusk. Not surprisingly, harvesting this color—a pound of dye required four million mollusks—was a labor-intensive, time-consuming, and smelly process. (The ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, from which the dye gets its name, was known for its reek of rotting mollusks.) Only the rich, such as the reigning emperor or monarch, could afford this shade, whose acquisition would ensure that his heir would be born “into the purple.” Hope for the common people lay in the lichen orchil, the poor person’s purple, which produced a purplish hue after a two- to three-week ammonia immersion.
Resources About Color
Infoplease.com information covering topics about color such as Psychology, Symbolism, and Interesting Facts
Hexadecimal Colors To specify colors on the Web you must enter the pound sign # followed by the 6 character hexadecimal code.
FactMonster Find your favorite color and see what it means around the world.
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