Color: More Than Meets The Eye Part Two: Color Names – Why Red Came First (And Cyan Came Later)

This is the second post in a four-part series exploring the fascinating evolution of color theory, language, and perception.

In this installment, we dive into how languages name colors, why some (like red) appeared early in human history, and why others (like cyan and magenta) only emerged with modern technology.

Catch up and stay tuned for upcoming posts in this series:

• Part One: Which Color Wheel Are You On?

• Part Two: Color Names – Why Red Came First (And Cyan Came Later) (You’re here!)

• Coming Soon: What Makes a Color “Primary”?

• Coming Soon: Color in Culture – How Language Shapes Our Palette

Part Two: Color Names: Why Red Came First (And Cyan Came Later)

Why does red show up in almost every ancient language—and cyan barely makes the cut?

If you’ve ever wondered why some color names feel ancient and essential while others sound oddly modern or synthetic, you’re not alone. There’s a fascinating history behind how we name and perceive color—and it turns out the colors we could name earliest weren’t just about aesthetics. They were about survival.

The Linguistic Ladder of Color

In 1969, researchers Brent Berlin and Paul Kay published a groundbreaking study showing that languages develop color names in a predictable order:

1. Black and white (or light/dark)

2. Red

3. Green or yellow

4. Blue

5. Brown

6. Then colors like purple, pink, orange, grey, and others

This suggests that our ability to see color is universal—but our ability to name color evolves with culture and technology.

A standard color in any artist's paint kit, Red. Usually, one of the first color tubes to run out.

Why Red Was ‘First’

So why red? Why not green, the color of so much nature, or blue, the color of the sky?

• Blood and Fire: Red signaled life and danger—two things our ancestors needed to recognize instantly.

• Physiology: Human eyes are especially sensitive to red wavelengths.

• Emotion: Even today, red evokes passion, urgency, and power. It’s primal. It’s unforgettable.

No wonder red is the first “true” color word to emerge in language after black and white.

Created by Canva Magic Media

Why Cyan and Magenta Came Late

Unlike red, colors like cyan and magenta were late arrivals to the color vocabulary. Why? Because their identities were shaped by technology.

• Cyan is a greenish-blue associated today with digital screens and printing. The word comes from Greek kyanos (dark blue), but as a distinct hue it only became significant with modern color science.

• Magenta didn’t even exist as a name until the 1859 Battle of Magenta, when a vivid synthetic dye was discovered. It’s not a spectral color—it arises from mixing red and blue light, making it essential in CMYK printing.

  

  Isaak Newton's Color Circle was created in 1704.

Color Names and the Color Wheel

The traditional color wheel we know today was also shaped by which colors had names.

• Newton’s early wheel (1704) used hues like red, yellow, green, blue, and violet—colors with strong linguistic roots.

• Goethe’s wheel (1810) tied emotional qualities to named colors, reinforcing cultural perceptions.

Cyan and magenta were missing from these early wheels because they weren’t linguistically or scientifically distinct yet. They only gained importance when printing technology demanded new primaries.

This means language and technology influenced which colors became “primary”—and thus which ones were placed on the wheel.

Etymology Nuggets

• Red: Old English rēad, from Proto-Indo-European reudh- (“ruddy, blood-colored”)

• Blue: Latin blavus, evolving through Old French bleu

• Cyan: Greek kyanos, originally describing dark blue minerals

• Magenta: Named after a battle near Milan; the dye was invented shortly after

Color names are like linguistic fossils—each one carries traces of the world that birthed it.

What’s your favorite obscure color name—and when do you think it came into use? Tell me in the comments—I’d love to dig into its history with you.

Next in the Series: Color: More Than Meets The Eye

In Part Three, we’ll unravel what really makes a color “primary” and how that concept has shifted over time.

Sources & Resources

• Basic Color Terms – Berlin & Kay

• The Secret Lives of Colour – Kassia St. Clair

• Smithsonian: How Colors Got Their Names

• Live Science: Why Magenta Does Not Exist

• Philip Ball, Bright Earth: The Invention of Colour