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Medieval Colour Names

Many and varied are the names of colours used in medieval times. When reading through manuscripts or old books, colours referred to may be hard to distinguish. Listed below are those that I've personally come across and their modern colour descriptions. Many of these are obsolete today.

A
abraham brown
abram brown
aurnola orange

B
bowdy scarlet
biffe "blotted out" stripes
brassel red
brasil bright red
bristol red
brun brown
brunetta lighter brown
burel dark red (woollen)
burnet brown

C
carnation raw flesh colour
carsey yellow
cendre dark grey
cendryn grey
celestrine light blue form of plunkett
checkery checked cloth
ciclaton originally scarlet, then
cloth of gold
cramoisy crimson (bright red)
crocus yellow
cyclas purple

D

E

echiqueles checked fabric

F
falwe yellow

G
garance madder
gingerline reddish-violet
goose-turd yellowish green
graine cochineal red
gris grey
grisart light grey
gris brun drab
gris cindre ash grey
gris pommelle dapple grey
gros de dos d'asne donkey grey

H
hair
bright tan
herbal
brown-green

I

incarnate
red
inde
indigo blue
(also described as azure blue)

isabelle
yellow or light buff

J
jaune
bright yellow

K

L

lincoln
green
lustie-gallant
light red

M

maidenhair bright tan
marble parti-coloured
medley a mixture of colours
mezereon rose-purple
milk-and-water bluish white
murrey deep claret or purplish-red made from mulberry juice

N

O
orange tawny
orange brown

P
paonace peacock
pavonalilis peacock
pear russett red
pers deep blue
perse bluish grey
plombes leaden grey
plonquies leaden grey
plunket medium blue or grey-blue
plunket celestyne sky blue
popinjay green or blue
puce purple of reddish tone
puke purple of reddish tone. Also described as dirty brown
purpure purple

Q

R

rats
colour dull grey
roy
bright tawny
russett
a dark brown

S

sad dark tint of any colour
sanguin blood red
sangwyn blood red
scarlet bright red
sheeps colour neutral
stammel red

T
tanne tan, tawny
tawny dusky orange brown
tenne tawny orange brown
toley bright red
turkils turquoise

U

V

verdulet bright bluish green
vermel bright red
vermeil vermillion (bright red)
vermillion bright red
vert green
violet
purple

W
watchet pale greenish blue
woad blue

X

Y
ynde
indigo blue
yellow-carsey yellow


Z

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