19 Rare And Obscure Color Words Unlike Any Others

Do you know all of your colors? No, we aren’t just talking about red and green. We mean color words like quercitron, puce, and dragon’s blood. There are so many unique and fascinating words that describe shades of color in our language. If you stop at the basics, you might just miss out on some of the most vivid and historically interesting shades that exist. Luckily, we’re here to prevent that. To celebrate all of the colors of the rainbow, and then some, we’ve put together a list of rare color words that are unlike any other. Keep reading for 19 obscure color words you may not have heard before.

1. dragon’s blood
This shade of red has a great name, but we’re sorry to disappoint you: it doesn’t actually come from dragons. Dragon’s blood is also sometimes called Pompeian red, and it’s a “dull, grayish red.” The color is associated with the deep-red resin that exudes from the fruit of palms, like the Malaysian palm and the dragon tree. It was first recorded in English in the 1590s.

2. quercitron
Quercitron might sound like a new type of robot technology, but it’s actually a shade of yellow. It’s named for the yellow dye produced by the bark of an oak tree that’s native to eastern North America. The word is a combination of the Latin quercus, or “oak,” and citron, “a grayish-green yellow color.”

3. ultramarine
If you’re imagining ultramarine as “a deep-blue color,” you are correct. In Medieval Latin, from which this word derives, ultramarinus literally means “beyond the sea.” This is because, historically, pigment from the mineral lapis lazuli was needed to make ultramarine dye, and this mineral had to be imported to Europe from Asia. Ultramarine has been in use in English since the late 1500s.

4. annatto
Annatto is a yellowish-red color, named for the dye that can be obtained from the pulp enclosing the seeds of the tree of the same name. This tree is also sometimes called the lipstick tree, and its dye is still used today to color cosmetics, butter, and cheese. The word annatto was borrowed into English from Carib.

5. Tyrian purple
Looking for “a vivid, purplish red”? Tyrian purple is your color. Tyrian purple was highly prized during the Byzantine empire, in part because of how difficult it was to obtain. The base to create this shade of purple had to be obtained from the secretions of a predatory sea snail. The term Tyrian purple has been in use in English since the late 1500s.

6. Mazarine
Mazarine is “a deep, rich blue,” most commonly associated with textiles and ceramics. The word first entered English between 1665 to 1675, but its origins aren’t fully known. The name may be an homage to a famous Italian cardinal, Cardinal Mazarin, who was culturally influential.

7. cerulean
Speaking of shades of blue, what about cerulean? Cerulean is best described as “deep blue; sky blue; azure.” In fact, it comes from the Latin caeruleus, meaning “dark blue.” The word has been in use in English since the mid-1600s, though the artist’s cerulean blue emerged closer to the late 1800s.

8. greige
What do you call “a warm beige color with gray undertones”? Greige, of course. This may sound like a trendy compound word that was invented by HGTV in the 2000s, but the color greige has actually been around for a while. Its name was first recorded in English as early as 1925, and it actually comes from the French grège, meaning “raw,” which was used to describe silk.

9. citreous
If the word citreous gives you visions of lemons and limes, you’re on the right track. This color is “lemon-yellow” or “greenish-yellow.” As you may have guessed, it is closely associated with citrus. In Latin, citreus means “of the citrus tree.” We’ve been using this term in English since at least 1865.

10. ponceau
You might see ponceau during a sunset. It means “a vivid reddish-orange color.” It may also make you think of poppies, as it likely derives from the Old French pouncel, or “poppy.” It was first recorded in English as early as 1825.

11. sepia
If you’ve ever used an Instagram filter, you’re probably familiar with sepia. This “brown, grayish brown, or olive brown” is often used in photography to give photos an old-fashioned vibe. The Latin sēpia, from which this word originates, means “cuttlefish” (and this is the creature that secretes the pigment used to create sepia).

12. gamboge
Gamboge is a “yellow or yellow-orange” color. It’s named for the yellow color of gum resin that comes from a type of tree native to Cambodia. Gamboge comes from Modern Latin cambogium, which is the Latin version of the place name Cambodia. This distinctive color name first appeared in English in the early 1600s.

13. lovat
Lovat doesn’t just describe one color. It means “a grayish blend of colors, especially of green, used in textiles, as for plaids.” First recorded between 1905 and 1910, lovat is likely named after Thomas Alexander Fraser, also known as Lord Lovat, who helped popularize tweeds in muted colors as attire for hunters.

14. smaragdine
If something is “emerald-green in color,” you can call it smaragdine. While this term is more rare, smaragd actually means “emerald” in Middle English. It’s likely that English speakers borrowed the term from the Greek smarágdinos, which was probably itself borrowed from Sanskrit marakata. The term has a long history and was first recorded in English as early as 1350.

15. puce
In French, puce means “flea” or “flea-colored.” In English, it’s most often used to describe “a dark or brownish purple.” Historically, it may also have been associated with the color of the scab or mark that a flea bite leaves behind. In any case, this creepy, crawly color word has existed in English since the 1780s.

16. Viridian
Let’s talk about green things, like Kermit the Frog, grass, or viridian. Viridian is the color of “a long-lasting bluish-green pigment.” Its name comes from the Latin viridi or viridis, which literally means “green.” Viridian entered English in the 1800s.

17. heliotrope
Heliotrope may sound like a chemical compound, but it’s actually a color that comes from a plant. It means “a light tint of purple; reddish lavender,” as found on the flowers of several plants belonging to the genus Heliotropium. These plants turn their leaves to the sun, hence their name, which can be traced to the Greek god Helios, or “sun.”

18. sable
Sable is another word for the color black. Typically it describes something “very dark or black,” that resembles the fur of an actual sable, an Old World weasel-like mammal. Sable entered English in the late 1200s or early 1300s.

19. wheaten
What color is wheaten? It might not surprise you to find out that this color word is pretty literal. It means “of the color of wheat, especially a pale yellow-brown color.” It’s also among the oldest words on our list, appearing in English before the year 900.

© 2025, Aakkhra, All rights reserved.

Add A Pop Of Color With The Vibrant Purple Synonyms

When you hear the word purple, what pops into your head? Chances are it’s one of a huge number of different shades, ranging from pale lavender to deep burgundy. There are so many different colors that fall under the vast umbrella of purple, so when you’re writing or talking about something in the shade, it’s helpful to be a bit more specific. Shades of purple can be found on everything from fruit to plants to wild animals. Here are 15 unique and vibrant words you can use when talking about the color purple.

lilac

Lilac is a “pale, reddish purple” that might call to mind a stroll through a garden. The color is named for the purplish flowers that grow on the shrub of the same name. This pale violet color is at home in a spring scene or even in the color palette of a sunrise. First recorded in the early 1600s, the word lilac comes from the Persian līlak, meaning “bluish.”

plum

If you need a darker shade of purple, plum will do. Plum is “a deep purple varying from bluish to reddish.” Like many words on the list, plum gets its name from something in nature. In this case, it’s the fruit that grows on plum trees. It can be traced to the Greek proúmnē, or “plum tree,” and it has been in use in English since at least the 900s.

violaceous

Is it purple or is it violaceous? This adjective means “of a violet color; bluish-purple.” It’s a perfect descriptor for anything with purplish hues, from fruit to flowers to the looming mountains in the distance. Violaceous is related to violet and was first recorded in English in the mid-1600s.

magenta

Magenta is a “purplish red.” It’s also the name of a town in Italy where the French and Sardinians defeated Austrian troops in 1859. The color was named for this battle site, as the famous fight took place shortly before magenta dye was discovered. But why was the town called Magenta? The town’s name may trace back to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, who is believed to have had a headquarters there.

amethyst

Some shades of purple really shine. Amethyst is “a purplish tint,” consistent with the purple or violet color of a type of quartz that shares the same name. It has a surprising backstory. Though the word has been in use in English since the mid-1200s, it has roots in the Greek améthystos, meaning “not intoxicating, not intoxicated.” This is because it was once believed the stone amethyst could prevent intoxication.

amaranthine

If you’re describing a red wine or something else that’s “of purplish-red color,” consider amaranthine. Amaranthine is the color of amaranth, a flowering plant known for its striking foliage or flower clusters. Amaranth comes from the Latin amarantus, an alteration of the Greek amáranton, meaning “unfading flower.”

periwinkle

Is it blue or is it purple? If it’s periwinkle, it must be somewhere in between. Periwinkle means “a blue-violet color,” and it’s associated with myrtle, a trailing plant with evergreen foliage and blue-violet flowers. Periwinkle is a common color used on furniture or clothing. The word has been in use in English since before the year 1500.

grape

If you asked someone to name something purple, a grape would probably come to mind. Because of the appearance of the fruit, grape has also come to mean “a dull, dark purplish-red color.” When something is grape, it has the flat, muted shade we associate with grapes, and it may range from a very deep purple to one with shades of pink or red. Grape comes from Middle English and was first recorded in the early 1200s.

lavender

While the plant lavender is well known for its scent, it has also influenced the name of a well-known shade of purple. Lavender, as a color, is “a pale bluish purple.” It’s a popular choice for weddings. There’s even lavender ice cream! Lavender comes from the Medieval Latin lavendula, meaning “a plant livid in color.”

wine

Wine isn’t just a drink you have with dinner. It’s also “a dark reddish color, as of red wines.” Wine might describe the particular shade of purple you want to paint your kitchen or the pretty new lipstick that’s on sale at the cosmetics store. While wine certainly indicates a deep purple-red color, you could be even more specific by naming a certain type of wine. For example, burgundy can be used to mean a “grayish red-brown to dark blackish-purple.”

violet

As a flower, violets are known for their vibrant purple color. That’s why the “reddish-blue” color of the same name is called violet. Violet exists at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red. You probably recognize it as the “V” in the abbreviation ROYGBIV, the colors of the rainbow. Typically, violet is more red in hue than a standard purple, like the color of the sky at sunset or the feathers of a Violet-backed starling.

pomegranate

Much like the fruit, pomegranate is a deep reddish or pinkish-purple color. Because of its complexity, it’s a great color for decorating. Pomegranate has been in use in English since at least the late 1200s, and it has a pretty straightforward origin. The name for the many-seeded fruit comes from the Medieval Latin pomum granatum, which literally means “a seedy apple.”

heliotrope

For a lighter shade of purple, give heliotrope a try. It’s “a light tint of purple; reddish lavender.” Not only is this word fun to say, but it also has a cool backstory. Like other purple shades, the color heliotrope shares its name with a plant. Helios is Greek for “sun,” while the Greek trópos means “a turn, change.” The plant heliotrope was named for the way its flowers and leaves turn towards the sun.

orchid

The word orchid calls to mind the delicate flowers of an orchid plant, which are sometimes a light “bluish to reddish purple color.” You can use orchid to talk about light shades of purple that fall somewhere between lilac and lavender. Orchid entered English in 1845 in the third edition of School Botany by John Lindley, and you might be surprised by its origins. This plant-name-turned-color can be traced to the Greek órchis, meaning “testicle.”

perse

Perse means “of a very deep shade of blue or purple.” You might use perse to describe fabric or pigments that are a deep indigo or even purple with hints of black. Though a less common term for purple, the word has been in use in English since the 1300s. It comes from the Middle English pers, perhaps a variant of the Medieval Latin persus, a kind of blue.

Copyright 2024, AAKKHRA, All Rights Reserved.

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