Saffron 橘黄色

 

Saffron is "a yellowish-orange color" that shares a name with the popular spice made from dried Crocus sativus. The color of saffron yellow is a warm, almost mustard hue¹ of yellow that could be used to talk about the particular fiery² yellow of a sunset or the rolling saffron hills during a summer in the countryside. Saffron was first recorded in English in the late 1100s. It derives³ from zaʿfarān, the Arabic word for saffron.

Saffron是一种“橘黄色”，与干藏红花制成的香料同名。Saffron是一种温暖的、接近芥末色的黄色，可以用来形容日落时的赤黄色，或是夏天乡间漫山遍野起伏的藏红花。Saffron最早出现在12世纪末的英语中。它源自藏红花的阿拉伯语单词zaʿfarān。

 

Tawny⁴ 黄褐色

 

This shade of yellow comes to us from the tan family. Tawny means "a shade of brown tinged⁵ with yellow; dull yellowish brown." It has been in use in English since at least 1350, it can be traced to the Middle French tané, a past participle of taner, or "to tan." Tawny is used for things that have a dull yellow mixed with plenty of brown or tan, such as a tawny owl⁷ or the tawny crust of a fresh loaf of bread.

这种黄色色调属于棕黄色系。Tawny的意思是“带黄色的棕色调；深黄棕色”。至少从1350年起，英语中就开始使用这个词，可以追溯到中世纪的法语词汇tané，是taner的过去分词。Tawny用来形容暗黄色与大量棕色或棕褐色混合的事物，比如一只黄褐色的猫头鹰或一块新鲜面包的黄褐色外皮。

 

Lemon 柠檬黄

 

Lemon has been used to describe a certain shade of yellow since at least 1800. In fact, lemon is probably one of the first words that comes to mind when you think of the color yellow. Lemon yellow is "a clear, yellowish-green color," much like the color of the fruit itself. Of course, lemons aren't the only examples of lemon yellow. You could also use this one to talk about everything from sunflowers to taxis.

至少从1800年起，lemon这个词就用来形容某种黄色。事实上，提起黄色时，你首先想到的词可能就是柠檬黄。柠檬黄是“一种清澈的黄绿色”，很像柠檬本身的颜色。当然，柠檬黄的代表不止有柠檬。你也可以用这个词来形容向日葵、出租车等。

 

 

Flaxen 亚麻色

 

You may have seen the word flaxen used in fairytales to describe the heroine's flaxen hair. Flaxen means "of the pale yellowish color of dressed flax." Flaxen is used to describe very pale, fair shades of yellow, which makes it an ideal choice for writers describing hair or clothing. It has been in use in English since the early 1500s.

你可能在童话故事中见过这个词被用来描述女主人公淡黄色的头发。Flaxen意思是“亚麻淡黄色”。亚麻色用来描述非常淡的浅黄色，非常适合形容头发和衣服的颜色。这个单词从16世纪初就开始出现在英语中。

 

Amber⁸ 琥珀色

 

You're likely familiar with amber as fossilized tree resin⁹. When we use amber to describe colors, that's the color we're talking about as well. Amber is defined as "the yellowish-brown color of resin." Amber was first recorded in English in the late 1300s.

你可能很熟悉amber（琥珀）这种树胶化石。当我们用amber来描述颜色时，也就是琥珀色。琥珀色指“树脂的黄棕色”。琥珀色在14世纪末首次出现在英语中。

 

Ocher 赭石色

 

Ocher, pronounced [ oh-ker ], isn't only one color of yellow. It actually describes a range of colors of earthy pigments¹⁰, “from pale yellow to orangish or reddish yellow.” It's the yellow of certain spices, like turmeric, or the earthy, golden hue of sand. The first usage of ocher in English occurred in the mid⁶ to late 1300s, and it can be traced all the way back to the Greek ṓchrā, or "yellow."

Ocher（赭石色）发音为[oh-ker]，不仅指一种黄色。实际上它描述的是一系列土色颜料的颜色，包括“淡黄色、橙黄或红黄色”。赭石色可以形容姜黄根粉等香料的黄色，或沙子的土黄色色调。14世纪中后期英语中首次使用ocher，这个词可以追溯到希腊语ṓchrā（黄色）。

 

Primrose¹¹ 淡黄色

 

You might see this particular shade of yellow on a stroll through the garden. Primrose is a "pale yellow" named for the primrose flower family. The word comes from Medieval Latin prīma rosa, or "first rose," and was first recorded in English in the late 1300s. Despite its pale hue, primrose has shades of white and bright yellow that make it the perfect word for describing light yellow fabrics¹², paints, or even the sky at first light.

在花园里漫步时，你可能会看到这种特殊的黄色。Primrose是以报春花科命名的“淡黄色”。这个词来自中世纪拉丁语prīma rosa（第一朵玫瑰），在14世纪末首次出现在英语中。Primrose色调很浅，指白色和亮黄色的色调，非常适合形容浅黄色织物、颜料，甚至天刚亮的天空。

 

Canary 鲜黄色

 

Canary yellow is a "light, clear shade of yellow" like the color of yellow daisies. The word canary was first used to refer to colors as early as 1818.

鲜黄色是一种“浅浅的明黄色”，类似于黄色雏菊的颜色。早在1818年，Canary这个词就首次被用来指代颜色。

 

Citrine 水晶黄

 

This shade of yellow takes its name from a gemstone. It's a variety of quartz¹³, to be exact. A citrine yellow is "pale-yellow; lemon-colored." In some cases, it may have a translucent¹⁴ quality, like that of a gemstone. You might use citrine to talk about the pale sunlight streaming through the window following a storm or even, perhaps, a cool glass of lemonade.

这种黄调颜色以宝石命名。确切地说，是各种各样的石英。 Citrine（水晶黄）指“淡黄色；柠檬色”。在某些情况下，它可能是半透明的，就像宝石一样。你可以用水晶黄来形容暴风雨过后从窗户射进来的淡淡的阳光，甚至可以用它来形容一杯冰凉的柠檬水。

 

Fallow 淡棕黄色

 

Fallow is a "pale-yellow or light-brown" color that you might see on fading leaves in the fall. It has warm tan and brown undertones that make it a perfect descriptor for things in nature. The word fallow also has a long history in English. It has been in use since before the year 1000, and it derives from the Old English fealu, or "yellow tending toward red, brown or gray."

Fallow是一种“淡棕黄色”，你可能会在秋天的落叶上看到这种颜色。它的底色是温暖的棕褐色，非常适合形容自然界事物。Fallow这个词在英语中也有很长的历史。人们从公元1000年前就开始使用这个单词，它源自古英语fealu，表示“带有红色、棕色或灰色色调的黄色”。

点击收听单词发音