Origins of the colour name ‘red’

The Colour name Red stems from Old Norse rót (“root”), from Proto-Germanic *wrōts, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”); compare with English wort and the Latin rādīx (“root”). Cognate with the Icelandic rót; Old English rōt (whence the Middle English word root (“the underground part of a plant”) came, whence the English root came). (Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%B3t) Ród Smoka (the bloodline of the dragon) film poster for HBO-serie. A similarity with the god Ród in Slavic mythology, who means … Continue reading Origins of the colour name ‘red’

Colour genes

Opsins (protein molecules which serve as visual pigments sitting in the cones and rods) are made under the influence of genes. DNA differences result in opsins that are sensitive to different colours. Since all genes are present in all cells, the difference between a red cone and a blue cone is not which genes they … Continue reading Colour genes

Unique hue

Colour naming, unique hues, and hue cancellation predicted from singularities in reflection properties. Mean research results: Unique yellow: 577nm; Unique red: 715nm; Unique Blue: 474nm; Unique green: 529nm. (Philipona & O’Regan, 2006)

Colour and aggressive sexual offences

Above average red scores have been found in men who have committed aggressive sexual offences (Siedow, 1958), while high yellow scores have been found in high performers and goal directed subjects. Thus preference for red seems to be associated with uncontrolled acting out behavior, while preference for yellow goes along with out-going but well-controlled modes … Continue reading Colour and aggressive sexual offences