etymologist: a person who studies the evolution of languages
citrus: a plant family that includes lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit
evolve: to change over time
drop: to let go; to no longer use
Sanskrit: an ancient language in India
The Colour Orange Was Named After The Fruit
You often hear the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”. Have you ever wondered about colour words? According to etymologists, the colour orange was named after the citrus fruit. It evolved from the Spanish word “naranja” meaning orange tree. The Spanish word came from a Sanskrit word. In the 16th century, when the fruit became widely available in Europe, the English dropped the “n” and began using the word “orange” to describe the colour orange. Previously in Old English, the colour orange had been called yellow-red (“geoluhread”).
