Paterson J. A Dictionary of Colour - A Lexicon of the Language of Colour (анг. яз.)
Подождите немного. Документ загружается.
253ZYXWVUTSRQPONM
n melanin
A black, brown or grey pigment in humans and animals imparting colour to hair,
skin and to the iris of the eye produced by melanocytes. The amount of melanin
produced is increased when the skin is exposed to the sun. The skin therefore
becomes darker thus giving greater protection from ultraviolet light. Moles and
freckles are caused by melanocytes producing too much melanin in a particular
area of the skin. Researchers at the South Bank University in London have discov-
ered the possibility that drug-testing using the subject’s hair can overstate the
level of the presence of drugs by up to 10 per cent if the subject is black or has
black hair. This is because the darker the hair the greater its melanin content and
drugs bind themselves to the melanin. Research by James Mackintosh suggests
that man developed dark skin because of the anti-microbial powers of melanin
rather than as a protection from the sun.
n melanism
The condition of those animals producing excessive melanin rendering their skin,
features, hair or eyes black in colour.
a melanochorous
Variegated in the colours of yellow and black.
n melanocytes
Cells in mammals producing the pigment, melanin, which causes the skin to
darken.
n melanophore
A colour-changing cell or chromatophore which contains black pigmentation.
n melanosporous
Having black spores.
a melanotrichous
Having black hair.
a melanous, melanic
Having black hair and a dark complexion. See also xanthous,
xanthocroid and leucomelanous.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
254 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
n melanuria
The condition where urine appears as dark blue or black in colour.
a melichrous
Honey-coloured.
c meline
Canary yellow; the colour of the quince.
a mellay
Variegated in colour (obs.).
a mellow
As regards colours, soft, rich, indicative of ripeness.
c mellow yellow
A pale yellow colour; a slang term for the banana skin when smoked by way of
an intoxicant.
a mellow-coloured
Having a soft colour or colours.
a menald
Speckled.
c mennal
A dappled red colour.
a merle
In relation to collies and other dogs, having a bluish-grey coat with black streaks
or blotches. Also the dog itself.
a metachromatic
Having the quality (usually in biology) of altering the colour of a stain which has
been applied to it.
n metachromatism
A change in colour especially one caused by variations in temperature.
255ZYXWVUTSRQPONM
n metachrome
A kind of dye which can be applied simultaneously with another.
n metachrosis
The ability of some animals enabling them by means of contracting and expanding
chromatophores to change their colour.
n metachrosis
Change of colour.
a metallic
Having a lustrous reflective finish especially in motor vehicles as in ‘metallic blue’
etc.
a metameric
Having different chemical properties despite being of the same composition;
extended to refer to the phenomenon where colour harmonises in light of one
kind but not in that of another. Fabric or wallpaper which takes on a different
colour outside the shop compared with that under the artificial lighting inside,
can be said to be ‘metameric’. The same colour often appears different according
to the chemical composition of the surface on which it appears – another manifes-
tation of ‘metamerism’.
a meteoric
Transitorily bright.
n methyl green
A green dye.
n methyl violet
One of the first synthetic dyes to be developed.
n methylene blue
An antiseptic containing blue dye to assist in diagnosis.
n metrochrome
A 19th century instrument for measuring the strength of colours using coloured
filters. Also referred to as a chromometer.
256 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
a micacious
Sparkling, shining.
a mid
As regards colours; having a shade midway between two other colours.
c midnight black
An extremely dark black colour.
c midnight blue
An intense blue colour; apparently the correct shade for mens’ evening dress.
c MidnightBlue
One of the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #191970.
n miello
The technique of applying a black inlay to gold or silver.
c mignon
A bluish violet.
c mignonette
The greyish green colour of the mignonette flower similar to reseda.
a milken
Having the colour of milk.
c milk-white
A pure white. Also ‘milk-blue’ and ‘milk-green’.
a Milori
Descriptive of those colours attributed to A. Milori, a French originator of colours
in the 19th century.
c Milori blue
See Prussian blue and Milori.
c Milori green
The same as chrome green. See Milori.
257ZYXWVUTSRQPONM
n miltos
An ancient natural ochre of Asia Minor used as a red paint and mentioned by
Homer. Called sinopic and possibly the same as sinoper.
n mimetic colours
The colours possessed by certain animals which enable them to mimic those of
another species.
a mineral
Used in relation to pigments which contain or consist of materials which have
or were originally mined.
c mineral blue
Similar to Prussian blue.
c mineral green
The same as malachite green.
n mineral grey
A bluish-grey pigment made from lapis lazuli.
n mineral white
A permanent white pigment used since the 1830’s and also called permanent
white.
a Ming
Indicating a hue used in making Ming porcelain, for example,’Ming blue’ and
‘Ming green’.
n mingled colours
Shakespeare’s King John Act 2 Scene 2.
vb miniate; to
To paint red.
a miniate, miniatous
Vermilion.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
258 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
a minious
Having the red colour of minium.
c minium
Vermilion, red; minium or red minium is another name for red lead.
n mink colours
Minks range in colour from white to black there being at least 20 mink colours
achieved by breeding. See, for example, champagne.
c MintCream
One of the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #F5FFFA.
c mint-green
The green of the leaves of the aromatic plant, mint; a pastel green.
c mirador
A reddish-orange colour.
n mired
A unit of measurement of colour temperature. Whilst Kelvin units indicate the
highest readings for blue light and the lowest for red, mireds operate to register
colours in the opposite direction.
a mirk
Dark, obscure.
c mist
A blue ‘art shade’. Also ‘mist grey’.
a misty
Descriptive of colours which have an indistinct quality.
c MistyRose
One of the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has hex code #FFE4E1.
c mitis green
An emerald green also referred to as Scheele’s green.
259ZYXWVUTSRQPONM
c mixed white
A combination of Cremnitz white and zinc white.
c Moccasin
A yellowish beige colour – one of the 140 colours in the X11 Color Set. It has
hex code #FFE4B5.
c mocha
The dark-brown colour of mocha coffee.
n mock-colour
An impermanent colour.
c mode
Pale bluish-grey.
n mode
A genre of light colours popular in the 19th century.
c modena
Crimson or deep purple. Artificial colouring created in Modena Italy and used
to dye ecclesiastical and academic apparel.
a moderate
Applied to colours which are not intense.
c mole
A shade of grey; see taupe.
c molybdenum blue
A blue colour resulting from mixing oxides.
pr molybdo- (G)
Lead.
n Monastral blue
A trade name for a very durable intense synthetic blue lake pigment first identified
by ICI in 1928 by accident. The forerunner to phthalocyanines. Also called
phthalocyanine blue, Windsor blue and Winsor blue (a trade name of Winsor
& Newton Company). ‘Monastral’ is sometimes in error referred to as ‘Monestial’.
260 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
n Monastral green
A green pigment similar to Monastral blue.
n mondegreen
Not a colour but a delightful term for a mishearing. The word originates from
an article by Sylvia Wright in Harper’s Magazine in 1954 where she recounts her
mishearing of the last line of the following Scottish ballad called ‘The Bonny Earl
of Murray’: Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands, O where hae ye been? They hae slain
the Earl of Murray And Lady Mondegreen, where she had always understood
the last line to be: ‘And lade him on the green’.
a monestial
See Monastral blue.
a monochroic
See monochromatic.
a monochromatic
Having a single colour. As regards light, having one or a narrow band of wave-
lengths only (also homochromatic and monochroic).
n monochromatism, monochromacy
A rare form of complete colour-blindness caused by a defect in the cones where
all colours appear to be grey. In Austria and some other countries monochromats
and protanopes (see protanopia) have not been allowed to obtain driving licences.
n monochromatopia
The condition of lacking some degree of cone or rod vision.
n monochrome
Black and white – in reference to photographs, drawings, paintings, printing etc.
Also used to describe the use of several shades or tints of just one colour.
c monsignor
A vivid reddish-violet.
c Montpellier green
See verdigris. See also Cassel yellow, verdigris and copper-green.
261ZYXWVUTSRQPONM
a moon-blanched
‘Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land’ from Dover Beach by Matthew
Arnold (1822-1888).
c moonlight
The colour of moonlight.
n moonlight
The light of the moon or more properly the light of the sun reflecting off the moon!
n mordant
A fixing agent or fixative used in dyeing. Mordant also helps paint to stick to the
surface. The process of mordanting is at least 2000 years old. As regards the process
of dyeing, becoming fixed.
c mordoré
A reddish brown.
c morello
A dark red; similar to murrey.
n morin
Yellow dye from fustic.
a Moroccan
As regards colours originating or supposedly originating from Morocco.
c moros
A blue colour used particularly in the description of horses.
n mosaic
The art form consisting of inlaying many small pieces of
different coloured stone, glass or other material to produce
a picture or pattern.
n mosaic gold
A yellow pigment used to gild parchment.
adjective a
adverb adv
a colour c
noun n
prefix pr
suffix su
verb vb
262 A DICTIONARY OF COLOUR
c moss
A shade of green.
c moss green
A yellowy-green colour; an olivy green.
c moss-grey
A greeny-grey.
n mote
A speck or spot.
c mother of pearl
The iridescent colour of the nacreous surface of some seashells particularly
oystershells.
n motif
A repeated pattern or design used for decoration.
a motley
Variegated. Possibly derived from mote.
n motorway snooker
A method allegedly used by some policemen where there are many offenders
for deciding which cars to stop for speeding dependent on their colour and the
order of potting snooker balls.
a mottled
Marked with patches, spots or blotches of colour.
n mottling
A broken colour effect used in decorating certain kinds of wood.
n mountain blue
Blue copper pigment; azurite blue. Also ‘mountain green’.
a mouse-coloured
Having a grey colour resembling that of the common house mouse; also called
‘mouse-dun’.