# New basic color word in English

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-basic-color-word-in-english/746326>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 17, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-basic-color-word-in-english/746326 "2016-02-17T11:40:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-basic-color-word-in-english/746326/61 "2016-02-20T14:19:16Z")

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> [@Catamount](#):
>
> Aren’t cyan and magenta different shades of red and blue? So even printers use a version of RBY, just lighter/brighter.

In my opinion, not really. Cyan is between green and blue to me, and magenta is between red and violet, but it’s an odd color. It’s a mix of pure red and pure blue light, and it does not exist on the spectrum (as mentioned above), but rather is perceived psychologically. Cyan, in additive color theory, is a mix of pure green and pure blue light. I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of the colors bring lighter or brighter–they are a different hue.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-basic-color-word-in-english/746326/62 "2016-02-20T15:49:57Z")

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To me, “tan” is the front runner if you consider actual usage in the real world.

“Cyan” isn’t a real color to me. I’d never identify something in the physical world as being cyan colored. It’s just a technical component in a particular industry.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-basic-color-word-in-english/746326/63 "2016-02-21T01:51:32Z")

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> [@Acsenray](#):
>
> To me, “tan” is the front runner if you consider actual usage in the real world.
> 
> “Cyan” isn’t a real color to me. I’d never identify something in the physical world as being cyan colored. It’s just a technical component in a particular industry.

Yeah, it’s certainly not an everyday word. “Aqua” or “turquoise” or something like that would have to substitute.

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