Ten Unique Color Names

Imagery is a big deal in books. Maybe because it helps set the scene for the reader (literally painting a picture) or maybe because it’s the easiest literary device to use. Color plays a large part in imagery, often to the point of excess. Usually, the sky is cerulean or is streamed with crimson and sienna at sunrise. One time, Meg Cabot described a character’s brown eyes as “bottomless peat bogs”. I have genuinely heard it all. That being said, I have garnered a deep appreciation for unique color words. Here are a few of my faves (obviously, in the form of a top ten list...).

1. Amaranthine- deep purplish red

2. Wenge- dark brown with copper undertones

3. Smaragdine- emerald green

4. Coquelicot- orange tinted red (the color of poppies)

5. Incarnadine- a crimson, blood red

6. Ebony, Onyx and Obsidian (three synonyms)- the deepest black

7. Malachite- a bright vibrant green

8. Falu- a deep rust red

9. Eburnean- ivory (white with a yellow undertone)

10. Azure- a rich bright blue