Added 10 October 2026
cyan
/ˈsaɪˌæn/ noun
In Latin: vitreus, venetus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cyan at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A primary subtractive color for light; has a blue-green color.
adjective
Origin
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κύανος (kúanos), a shade of blue variously described as similar to cornflower, copper carbonate, and lapis lazuli, Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀷𐀜 (ku-wa-no), possibly from Hittite [script needed] (kuwannan-, “a precious stone; copper; shade of blue”) - likely from Kuwanniya, all going back to kuwanna (woman), related to "queen" and γυνή. Compare modern Greek κυανός (kyanós), also used for cyan.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)