Paterson J. A Dictionary of Colour - A Lexicon of the Language of Colour (анг. яз.)
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n keratin
A dye used as a hair colorant.
c kermes
A brilliant red or scarlet used extensively in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
period. The words crimson, carmine and cremosin derive from the word kermes.
See kermesic acid.
n kermesic acid
The red dye obtained from crushing and boiling the insect referred to as
Kermococcus ilicis or coccus ilicis or kermes vermilio. In medieval times this red
or scarlet dye was known as granum or grain from which we derive the term
‘ingrained’. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Act 1 Scene 5 Olivia refers to her
complexion as ‘Tis in grain sir’. See also kermes.
n ketchup colours
A variety of reds. Used to describe a designer dress of Donatella Versace. Also
‘ketchup’.
c khaki
A drab yellowish-brown dust-colour; sometimes with a greenish tinge. One of
the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #F0E68C. A generic term
for the fabric used to make British army field-uniforms. From khaki meaning ‘dust-
coloured’ in Hindi.
c kingfisher blue
A brilliant blue. Also referred to simply as ‘kingfisher’.
c King’s blue
A light blue resulting from mixing ultramarine and Cremnitz white. See cobalt
blue.
c King’s yellow
A brilliant yellow.
n klieg light
Bright light used for film-making.
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n kohl
Fine black powder used in the East and in ancient times in Egypt as a cosmetic
shade to the eyes. Also used as an adjective as in ‘heavily kohled eyes’ (The
Autograph Man by Zadie Smith).
c Krems white
See Cremnitz white.
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adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
L
c labrador blue
The dark blue of the mineral labradorite. The most common colours of labradorite
are blue and green although it can also display gold, red, pink, purple and bronze.
The marvellous display of colour is caused by light reflected from the unique
spacing of the planes of crystals often producing a three-dimensional image. See
coloured gems.
a labradorescent
Displaying a brilliant array of colours; especially as regards some varieties of the
mineral, feldspar (in particular labradorite and orthoclase) when examined under
a light. Hence ‘labradorescence’.
c lac
The crimson colour of lac.
a lacklustre, lack-lustre
Lacking in brightness or lustre. See dull.
n lacmoid
A blue coal-tar dye.
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n lacquer
A resinous lightly coloured varnish used to produce a highly polished waterproof
finish to wood, brass etc.; derived from ‘lac’. Also used as an adjective as in ‘red-
lacquered’. See shellac.
c lacquer-black
A glossy lustrous black colour as in ‘Madonna with long lacquer-black tresses’
(The Evening Standard 1.2.99).
a lacteous
Of the colour of milk.
c lake
The colour of lac, namely, crimson.
n lake, lac
A dark-red crimson resin deposited on certain trees and plants by the insect coccus
laccae (possibly laccifer lacca) originally used as a dye or pigment or glaze.
(Compare cochineal and kermes). The term has for many centuries come to desig-
nate any insoluble compound of organic matter produced from plants, vegetables,
coal-tar or clay which absorbs colorant and is used to produce pigments of many
different colours with a high degree of translucency.
n lake colours
An expression referring to the origin of the pigment, lake, and not to any particular
colour. ‘Lake’ is used as a qualifying word for many colours including red, crimson,
green and madder.
n laking
See madder lake.
a laky
As regards blood, where the red corpuscles have become colourless – transparent;
pertaining to lake, the pigment.
a lambent
As regards light, radiant or bright.
n lambert
A unit of light intensity equal to 0.32 candles per square centimetre.
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n lampblack, lamp black
A dull black pigment composed of soot or carbon; also called carbon black.
pr lampro- (G)
A combining form meaning bright, shining or clear.
n lapachol
A yellow pigment occurring in the wood of of the Tecoma tree.
c lapidary blue
A brilliant blue.
c lapis lazuli
A bright blue; also ‘lapis lazuli blue’. A mineral used from the 13th century to
make ultramarine. For many years the only known deposit was in Badakhstan
in Afghanistan. Its vivid blue is the result of its sulphur content.
c larkspur
The pale greenish-blue colour of the plant of the same name; a colour in Winifred
Nicholson’s ‘Chart of Colours’ 1944.
n laser
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser consists of a
pulse of monochromatic light in concentrated form the colour of which is
determined by the particular gas used in the flash tube.
n laserlight
The light from a laser.
a lateritious, latericeous
Brick-red.
n lattice
A regular geometric pattern created by interwoven strips.
c laurel
A dark yellowy green.
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c lava-red
An intense orangey-red.
c lavender
Pale lilac; having the colour of lavender flowers; also lavender grey and lavender
blue. Possibly derived from the Latin lavare, to wash. Referring, particularly in
the US, to homosexuality – see the Lavender List.
c Lavender
One of the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #E6E6FA.
n Lavender List
Harold Wilson’s infamous list of resignation honours containing names recom-
mended (apparently on lavender notepaper) by his secretary, Marcia Williams
(later to become Lady Falkender). The list of courses at the University of Maryland
involving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
n lavender marriage
A marriage of convenience entered into by a homosexual.
c LavenderBlush
One of the colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code FFF0F5.
c LawnGreen
Another of the colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #7CFC00.
n lazouri lake
A blue pigment.
a lazuline
Having the colour of lapis lazuli; blue stone.
c lead
The colour of the metal lead, particularly in the form used for
roofing purposes.
c lead-blue
A greyish blue.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
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n lead chromate
A yellow compound made from chrome and first used as a pigment in paint at
the beginning of the 19th century; for example, chrome yellow, chrome orange,
chrome red and lemon chrome.
n lead chromes
A class of pigments which contain lead chromate producing a range of brilliant
colours from light yellow, to gold, orange and red.
n lead colour
A grey paint used as an undercoat.
a leaden
A dull grey colour.
a leaden-coloured
Having a grey colour or aspect.
n lead monoxide
See red lead.
n lead oxide
A mineral used to produce a red dyestuff.
c lead-tin oxide
A manufactured yellow used by Titian also referred to as lead-tin yellow. See
Titian’s colours.
c lead-tin yellow
See lead-tin oxide.
c lead white
An ancient poisonous white pigment made from lead and replaced gradually
over the period from 1780 and 1909 (when its use in painting buildings was banned
in France) by non-toxic whites made from zinc and titanium. Also known as white
lead.
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c leaf-green
Having the colour of leaves; sometimes the yellowy-green of young leaves. One
of the colours in the Ostwald circle.
c leafmold
A dark reddish-orange colour.
a leaming
Gleaming (obs.). There are not many words the meaning of which remains similar
despite the omission of its initial letter. Some further examples are ‘brash’, ‘cram’
and ‘erase’.
c leather brown
The brown tan colour of shoe leather.
n LED
A light-emitting diode used in television sets, video recorders, CD players, calcu-
lators, measuring equipment and in some computers etc. LEDs emit light when
activated by electric current. They have many applications. A refined form of LED
has been developed in London which by means of its strong red light emitted at
exactly 680 nanometres can activate drugs which are able to get rid of bacterial
infections such as stomach ulcers. A fireman has invented a torch with 12 red LEDs
which will make it possible to see through clouds of smoke in a way the white
light of an ordinary torch cannot. This relies on the principle that red light can
be seen more easily than other colours because it is not subject to being dispersed
as much by particles in the atmosphere. The light emitted can also detect fires.
n LED therapy
The use of light-emitting diodes to treat sports and other injuries, Also practised
by veterinary surgeons. See LED and colour therapy.
c leek-green
The green of the vegetable of the same name; sometimes an olive green. See
prasinous.
c leghorn
The yellow colour of straw; from Leghorn in Italy (now Livorno) which produced
a particular kind of wheat from which Leghorn straw hats and bonnets were made.
The straw when harvested was green in colour, but was bleached before being
used.
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n lemnian ruddle
A dark red pigment named after the Greek island, Lemnos. Also called ‘lemnian
reddle’. See reddleman.
c lemon
A vivid yellow; the colour of the outer part of the fruit of the same name.
c LemonChiffon
One of the colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #FFFACD.
n lemon chrome
A brilliant yellow pigment.
c lemon yellow
A strong yellow composed in a number of different ways one of which includes
strontium nitrate.
a lentiginous
Freckly.
n lentigo
A freckle.
n leopard-print
A fabric pattern resembling the black spots and fawn background of the skin of
the leopard.
c lettuce green
The yellowish green colour of lettuce leaves.
pr leuc(o)- (G)
White.
n leucipotomy, leucippotomy
The art of carving white horses out of hillsides. There are at least 17 such white
horses in England, 9 of them in Wiltshire including the famous Westbury Horse.The
Uffington white horse in Oxfordshire is considered to be the oldest. A new
technique – Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) – suggests that it dates
back to 1400 BC – much earlier than previously supposed.