# A Synonym for a color **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796 "2012-12-02T23:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/1 "2012-12-02T23:40:26Z")
What is a synonym for “Ultraviolet”? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/2 "2012-12-02T23:47:32Z")
“Invisible” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/3 "2012-12-02T23:49:08Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > “Invisible” Either that or “Isabelle Collin Dufresne.” ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/4 "2012-12-02T23:50:43Z")
350nm ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/5 "2012-12-03T00:23:47Z")
InfraX-ray? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/6 "2012-12-03T00:43:05Z")
Miss Incredible The Color Out of Space ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/7 "2012-12-03T00:47:43Z")
Uberpurple? ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/8 "2012-12-03T00:54:25Z")
Well, [in the 19th century](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet#Discovery), they called it “oxidizing rays” or “chemical rays”. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/9 "2012-12-03T01:03:35Z")
It’s not invisible just because _you_ can’t see it. It’s there, and some insects can see it, and some people can in specific circumstances. > [@Glazer](#): > > 350nm Or about 3.54 eV, if you want the energy, or 856.55 THz for the frequency. > [@Chronos](#): > > The Color Out of Space It’s _Colour_, despire HPL being an American. Don’t know why, but I’d imagine it involves a padded cell. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/10 "2012-12-03T01:08:55Z")
Black light. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/11 "2012-12-03T01:16:45Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > It’s not invisible just because _you_ can’t see it. It’s there, and some insects can see it, and some people can in specific circumstances. According to Wikipedia’s article on [tetrachromacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy), some birds and some fish can see ultraviolet. Allegedly, there are two human tetrachromats, but neither is “fully verified”. Both are female. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/12 "2012-12-03T01:18:08Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Uberpurple? Superpurple! (Super-_duper_-superpurple!!) ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/13 "2012-12-03T01:21:25Z")
Ms. Matthews > **[Secret Identity Crisis](https://books.google.com/books/about/Secret_Identity_Crisis.html?id=Hs1zCecBJC0C)** > > Sixth grader Nate Banks, who's obsessed with comic books, leads a normal life until he discovers his history teacher may be a superhero.As the three-time winner of the Ultimate Comic Book Trivia Championship of Knowledge, Nate Banks has always been... The Black Angels > **[Prayer of the Blue Skies](https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl4DIvPV9H0C&pg=PA15&dq=ultraviolet%2Bsuper%2Bhero&hl=en&sa=X&ei=y_67UJ7VDYnq9AT26IDICg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ultraviolet%20super%20hero&f=false)** > > "Prayer of the Blue Skies" BY Gabriel Zeldis ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/14 "2012-12-03T01:25:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > It’s _Colour_, despire HPL being an American. Don’t know why, but I’d imagine it involves a padded cell. Lovecraft was a HUGE anglophile. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/15 "2012-12-03T01:38:34Z")
Beyond-Blue-Red ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/16 "2012-12-03T02:28:35Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > According to Wikipedia’s article on [tetrachromacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrachromacy), some birds and some fish can see ultraviolet. > > Allegedly, there are two human tetrachromats, but neither is “fully verified”. Both are female. Yep. Birds have us beat. There may be many women who have four cones. Whether they actually _do something_ is the issue at hand. It would be almost certainly genetically impossible for men to have it in any form (Klinefelter syndrome?). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/17 "2012-12-03T02:40:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > There may be many women who have four cones. Whether they actually _do something_ is the issue at hand… Fuzzy antecedents. Also, OP: Smoke on the Water ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/18 "2012-12-03T03:31:55Z")
As I understand it, tetrachromats have a slightly modified green (or maybe red) pigment gene on one of their X-chromosomes. So some of their green rods have a somewhat different pigment than usual and it resonds to light just a bit differently. That means they can distinguish many more shades of color than most people. But they can’t normally see in the UV. The reason we can’t see in the UV is that the lens of the eye is opaque in those frequencies. Some people have replacement lenses that are not opaque, so they can see somewhat into that range, However, I understand that artificial lenses nowadays are made to be opaque just like natural lenses. As far as the OP, how about [octarine](http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/04/19/octarine-the-imaginary-color-of-magic) as a synonym. Or maybe not… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/19 "2012-12-03T03:40:00Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > What is a synonym for “Ultraviolet”? It’s not actually a “color,” since humans can’t see it. And although the birds and the bees can see it, we don’t know what they call it. > [@Johanna](#): > > Either that or “Isabelle Collin Dufresne.” Great answer. (Though to nitpick, she’s actually Ultra Violet.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796/20 "2012-12-03T03:45:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Or about 3.54 eV, if you want the energy, or 856.55 THz for the frequency. Unjustified precision. Ultraviolet is a broad enough range that you can’t really even justify _one_ digit of precision, much less five. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-synonym-for-a-color/642796.md?page=2)