A.W.A.D. - Colourful Words

Since this newsletter reaches almost all parts of the globe, you may be reading this on a day when there's a torrid sun or a gentle spring breeze. Perhaps you are forced indoors by a drenching monsoon or a frigid snowstorm.

But in this part of the world we are celebrating autumn, the season of colors. As the falling leaves form a feast for the eyes, it is a perfect week to talk about colors. Let's consider some unusual words to describe oranges and browns, grays and blues, and other shades in between.

Interestingly, there's even a color named after the color of dead leaves!

filemot
(FIL-mot) noun, adjective
The color of a dead or faded leaf: dull brown or yellowish brown.

[From the corruption of the French term feuillemorte, from feuille (leaf) + morte (dead). Ultimately from Indo-European root bhel- (to thrive or bloom) that gave us flower, bleed, bless, foliage, blossom, and blade.]

incarnadine
(in-KAHR-nuh-dyn) adjective
Flesh-colored; blood-red.
noun
An incarnadine color.
verb tr.
To make incarnadine.

[Via French and Italian from Latin caro, (flesh). Ultimately from Indo-European root sker- (to cut) that's also the source of words such as skirt, curt, screw, shard, shears, carnage, carnivorous, carnation, sharp, and scrape.]

fuscous
(FUS-kuhs) adjective
Of a brownish-gray color; dusky.

[From Latin fuscus (dusky).]

glaucous
(GLO-kuhs) adjective
1. Of a grayish or bluish green or white color.
2. Covered with a powdery coating of such colors, as on grapes, plums, etc.

[From Latin glaucus (bluish-gray or green), from Greek glaukos.]

taupe
(toap, rhymes with rope) noun
A brownish gray, similar to the color of moleskin.

[From French taupe (mole), from Latin talpa.]