Red | Description, Etymology, & Facts (2024)

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Tanya Kelley Tanya Kelley is an adjunct professor of German and Spanish at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she received her Ph.D. in Linguistics and History of Science. Her dissertation was titled World...

Tanya Kelley

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Mar. 6, 2024, 10:31 PM ET (The Verge)

Nikon is acquiring US camera manufacturer RED

red, in physics, the longest wavelength of light discernible to the human eye. It falls in the range of 620–750 nanometres in the visible spectrum. In art, red is a colour on the conventional colour wheel, located between violet and orange and opposite green, its complementary colour.

Red was the first basic colour term added to languages after black and white. The word red derives from Sanskrit rudhira and Proto-Germanic rauthaz. One of the first written records of the term is from an Old English translation (897 ce) of Pope St. Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care: “On thæs sacerdes hrægle sceoldœn hangian bellan & ongemong thæm bellum reade apla” (“On the priest’s robes should hang bells and among the bells red pomegranates”).

Britannica QuizMore Art and Colors Quiz

Pigments for red come from madder, red lead, red ochre, cinnabar, and artificial chemical compounds. The red pigment used for the figures’ robes in Titian’s altarpiece The Assumption (1516–18) is vermilion, which is derived from ground cinnabar.

In addition to the colour wheel, various other colour systems have been used to classify red. Before the invention of colour photography, Werner’s Nomenclature of Colour (1814) was frequently used by scientists attempting to accurately describe colours observed in nature. In that book the so-called tint “Scarlet Red” is compared to the “Scarlet Ibis or Curlew,” the “Large red Oriental Poppy,” and “Light red Cinnaber.” In the Munsell colour system—adopted in the early 20th century to standardize colour, usually for industry—one of the many variations of red is identified as 7.5R 4/20.

Tanya Kelley

Red | Description, Etymology, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

What is the etymology of red? ›

Red was the first basic colour term added to languages after black and white. The word red derives from Sanskrit rudhira and Proto-Germanic rauthaz. One of the first written records of the term is from an Old English translation (897 ce) of Pope St.

What is the description of red? ›

Red is the color of heat and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, and power, as well as passion, desire and love. Red is an emotionally intense color. It is very easy to notice, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red.

What root words mean red? ›

Erythr/o. The word root and combining form erythr/o refers to the color red, and it is derived from the Greek word erythros. This can appear in terms such as erythrocyte, erythropoietin, and erythrolaryngosis. Erythrocyte means red blood cells since erythro- is joined to the suffix -cyte, which means cells.

What are the 10 facts about red? ›

Interesting facts about the red colour, you need to know!
  • Red is the first colour the baby sees! Some recent studies have shown that children who are aged barely two weeks can now distinguish the red colour. ...
  • Men and women see red differently! ...
  • Bulls don't hate red, it's just a myth!

Where is red originated? ›

Inside cave 13B at Pinnacle Point, an archeological site found on the coast of South Africa, paleoanthropologists in 2000 found evidence that, between 170,000 and 40,000 years ago, Late Stone Age people were scraping and grinding ochre, a clay colored red by iron oxide, probably with the intention of using it to color ...

What is unique about red? ›

Thanks to its long wavelength, red is one of the most visible colors in the color spectrum (second only to yellow). Its ability to instantly grab people's attention is the reason why it's often used to warn people of impending danger. Think: stop signs, sirens, fire engines, and red traffic lights.

What is special about red? ›

Surveys show that red is the color most associated with courage. In western countries red is a symbol of martyrs and sacrifice, particularly because of its association with blood.

What does red mean spiritually? ›

Red. Red symbolizes energy, passion, strength, courage, physical activity, creativity, warmth, and security. It is also associated with aggression. In healing, use red to bring warmth and burn out disease. Red is a powerful color and should be used in moderation.

What does red symbolize in the Bible? ›

Red is connected with the life blood of people and animals (Genesis 9:4-6) as well as fiery passion. Because of the blood of Christ, this color also has become a color of redemption. Many of the associations which we have with colors today were also held in biblical times.

What color makes red? ›

Red is a primary color, so you cannot create it by mixing any other colors. Primary colors are colors that exist on their own and do not contain traces of any other color. Aside from red, the other primary colors are blue and yellow.

What two colors make dark red? ›

Mixing Reds with Neutral Colors
  • Add black to change the shade of red and make it richer. Combining black with any color creates a darker shade of that color. ...
  • Combine red with gray to make a darker, flatter red. Start with 1 part gray to 15 parts red. ...
  • Mix red with brown to make a muted, earthy shade of red.
May 17, 2024

What are words to describe the color red? ›

Synonyms of 'red' in British English
  • crimson.
  • scarlet.
  • ruby.
  • vermilion.
  • rose.
  • cherry.
  • coral.
  • claret.

What does red mean in life? ›

Red has a range of symbolic meanings through many different cultures, including life, health, vigor, war, courage, anger, love and religious fervor. The common thread is that all these require passion.

What is the full form of red? ›

Random early detection (RED), also known as random early discard or random early drop, is a queuing discipline for a network scheduler suited for congestion avoidance.

What was red originally called? ›

First evidence of this term comes from Proto-Ino-European languages. The modern English word comes form Old English word, REUDH. Some ancient languages like Sanskrit, Proto-Germanic and Avestan, used this word. Some language words for RED are: Russian: krasni, Italian: rosso, French: rouge, German:rot, Spanish: rojo.

Which Greek word means red? ›

From Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós, “red”).

What is the Old Saxon word for red? ›

In this, our first post on our monthly topic of color names, we look at names deriving from words for 'red'. Old High German rōt, Old Saxon rōd 'red' is occurs as a prototheme in a handful of Germanic names, including Rothard and Rothward.

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