entry
cyan
/ˈsaɪ.ən/Greenish-blue color between blue and green
From Greek cyan (dark blue).
from Greek kyanos "dark blue, dark blue enamel, lapis lazuli," probably a non-Indo-European word, but perhaps akin to,...
Word Ancestry
from Greek kyanos "dark blue, dark blue enamel, lapis lazuli," probably a non-Indo-European word, but perhaps akin to,...
Picture an ancient Greek craftsperson handling a dark blue mineral or a blue-glazed object: that was kyanos, the source of cyan. The word may reach even farther back to Mycenaean Greek ku-wa-no, written in the astonishing Linear B script centuries before the classical alphabet. Its ultimate origin is uncertain; one leading possibility connects it with a Hittite word for copper, a precious stone, or a copper-blue color, but the evidence is not solid enough to call the case closed. English first used cyan blue in 1879 and shortened it to cyan by 1889, giving printers and scientists a precise name for the color between blue and green. The same Greek color-stem also appears in cyanide, cyanobacteria, cyanosis, and kyanite—so a word that looks like a cheerful computer color carries echoes of minerals, chemistry, and medical blueness.
The Story
Picture an ancient Greek craftsperson handling a dark blue mineral or a blue-glazed object: that was kyanos, the source of cyan. The word may reach even farther back to Mycenaean Greek ku-wa-no, written in the astonishing Linear B script centuries before the classical alphabet. Its ultimate origin is uncertain; one leading possibility connects it with a Hittite word for copper, a precious stone, or a copper-blue color, but the evidence is not solid enough to call the case closed. English first used cyan blue in 1879 and shortened it to cyan by 1889, giving printers and scientists a precise name for the color between blue and green. The same Greek color-stem also appears in cyanide, cyanobacteria, cyanosis, and kyanite—so a word that looks like a cheerful computer color carries echoes of minerals, chemistry, and medical blueness.
Modern Usage
In niche online usage, Cyan may refer to a caring, loyal person or to the game company associated with Myst; cyan is also recognized as a vivid Microsoft Paint color.
Notable References
- Myst game series
Kin & Kindred
From 'cyan'·dark blue; lapis lazuli; blue enamel
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary