etymology of language. the change and form (metamorphosis) of language over time. colour.

ethimolegia et(h)imologie tymologie etymologia etymon -logia etymology

read rauthaz raur rd rad root rot raus

red

etymology late 14c., ethimolegia "facts of the origin and development of a word," from O.Fr. et(h)imologie (14c., Mod.Fr. tymologie), from L. etymologia, from Gk. etymologia, properly "study of the true sense (of a word)," from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true, real, actual," related to eteos "true") + -logia "study of, a speaking of" (see -logy). In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium. As a branch of linguistic science, from 1640s. Related: Etymological; etymologically.

O.E. read, from P.Gmc. *rauthaz (cf. O.N. raur, Dan. rd, O.Fris. rad, M.Du. root, Ger. rot, Goth. raus), from PIE root *reudh- (cf. L. ruber, also dial. rufus "light red," mostly of hair; Gk. erythros; Skt. rudhira-; Avestan raoidita-; O.C.S. rudru, Pol. rumiany, Rus. rumjanyj "flushed, red," of complexions, etc.; Lith. raudas; O.Ir. ruad, Welsh rhudd, Bret. ruz "red"). The only color for which a definite common PIE root word has been found. The surname Read/Reid retains the original O.E. long vowel pronunciation.

red (1)

O.E. purpul, dissimilation (first recorded in Northumbrian, in Lindisfarne gospel) from purpure "purple garment," purpuren "purple," from L. purpura "purple-dyed cloak, purple dye," also "shellfish from which purple was made," from Gk. porphyra (see porphyry), of Semitic origin, originally the name for the shellfish (murex) from which it was obtained. Tyrian purple, produced around Tyre, was prized as dye for royal garments. As a color name, attested from late 14c. Also the color of mourning or penitence (especially in royalty or clergy). Rhetorical for "splendid, gaudy" (of prose) from 1590s. Purpur continued as a parallel form until 15c., and through 19c. in heraldry. Purple Heart, U.S. decoration for service members wounded in combat, instituted 1932; originally a cloth decoration begun by George Washington in 1782. Hendrix' Purple Haze (1967) is slang for "LSD."

purple

orange

c.1300, from O.Fr. orenge (12c.), from M.L. pomum de orenge, from It. arancia, originally narancia (Venetian naranza), alteration of Arabic naranj, from Pers. narang, from Skt. naranga-s "orange tree," of uncertain origin. Loss of initial nprobably due to confusion with definite article (e.g. une narange, una narancia), but perhaps influenced by Fr. or "gold." The tree's original range probably was northern India. The Persian orange, grown widely in southern Europe after its introduction in Italy 11c., was bitter; sweet oranges were brought to Europe 15c. from India by Portuguese traders and quickly displaced the bitter variety, but only Mod.Gk. still seems to distinguish the bitter (nerantzi) from the sweet (portokali "Portuguese") orange. Portuguese, Spanish, Arab, and Dutch sailors planted citrus trees along trade routes to prevent scurvy. On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus brought the seeds of oranges, lemons and citrons to Haiti and the Caribbean. Introduced in Florida (along with lemons) in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Introduced to Hawaii 1792. Not used as the name of a color until 1540s.

blue (v.)

c.1300, bleu, blwe, etc., from O.Fr. blo "pale, pallid, wan, light-colored; blond; discolored; blue, blue-gray," from Frankish *blao or some other Germanic source, from P.Gmc. *blwaz (cf. O.E. blaw, O.S., O.H.G. blao, Dan. blaa, Swed. bl, O.Fris. blau, M.Du. bla, Du. blauw, Ger. blau "blue"), from PIE *bhle-was "light-colored, blue, blond, yellow." "The exact color to which the Gmc. term applies varies in the older dialects; M.H.G. bla is also 'yellow,' whereas the Scandinavian words may refer esp. to a deep, swarthy black, e.g. O.N. blamar, N.Icel. blamaur 'Negro' " [Buck]. Replaced O.E. blaw, from the same PIE root (bhel- (1) "to shine, flash," see bleach (v.)), which also yielded L. flavus "yellow," O.Sp. blavo "yellowish-gray," Gk. phalos "white," Welsh blawr "gray," O.N. bla "livid" (the meaning in black and blue), showing the usual slippery definition of color words in I.E. The present spelling is since 16c., from French influence (Mod.Fr. bleu).

green

(n., adj.) O.E. grene "green, young, immature, raw," earlier groeni, from W.Gmc. *gronja- (cf. O.S. grani, O.Fris. grene, O.N. grnn, Dan. grn, Du. groen, O.H.G. gruoni, Ger. grn), from PIE root *ghre- "grow" (see grass), through sense of "color of living plants."

yellow

O.E. geolu, geolwe, from P.Gmc. *gelwaz (cf. O.S., O.H.G. gelo, M.Du. ghele, Du. geel, M.H.G. gel, Ger. gelb, O.N. gulr, Swed. gul "yellow"), from PIE *ghel- "yellow, green" (see Chloe). The verb meaning "to become yellow" is O.E. geoluwian. Adjective meaning "light-skinned" (of blacks) first recorded 1808.

metamorphosis 1530s, "change of form or shape, especially by witchcraft," from L. metamorphosis, from Gk. metamorphosis "a transforming," from metamorphoun "to transform," from meta- "change" (see meta-) + morphe "form" (see Morpheus).

change (v.) early 13c., from O.Fr. changier "to change, alter," from L.L. cambiare "to barter, exchange," from L. cambire "to exchange, barter," of Celtic origin, from PIE root *kamb- "to bend, crook" (with a sense evolution perhaps from "to turn" to "to change," to "to barter"). Related: Changed; changing. The noun is attested from c.1200, from O.Fr. change. The financial sense of "balance returned when something is paid for" is first recorded 1620s. Phrase change of heart is from 1828.

form (n.) early 13c., from O.Fr. forme "physical form, appearance, pleasing looks; shape, image," from L. forma "form, contour, figure, shape; appearance, looks' model, pattern, design; sort, kind condition," origin unknown. One theory holds that it is from Gk. morphe "form, beauty, outward appearance" (see Morpheus) via Etruscan [Klein]. Sense of "behavior" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "a document with blanks to be filled in" is from 1855. The verb is attested from c.1300, from O.Fr. fourmer, from L. formare. Related: Formed; forming.

etymology late 14c., ethimolegia "facts of the origin and development of a word," from O.Fr. et(h)imologie (14c., Mod.Fr. tymologie), from L. etymologia, from Gk. etymologia, properly "study of the true sense (of a word)," from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true, real, actual," related to eteos "true") + -logia "study of, a speaking of" (see -logy). In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium. As a branch of linguistic science, from 1640s. Related: Etymological; etymologically.