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Free Latin Learning Activity

Latin Color Names: A Complete List and Interactive Game

Learn the most common Latin color names, discover how several English words developed from them, and test your knowledge with a fun matching activity.

View the Color Chart Play the Matching Game

What Are the Latin Names of Colors?

Latin color words help students build vocabulary while also revealing the origins of many familiar English words.

Quick answer: Some of the most common Latin color names are ruber for red, caeruleus for blue, viridis for green, flavus for yellow, albus for white, and niger for black.

Common Latin Color Names

Use this quick-reference chart to learn the Latin word for each common color.

Color Latin Related English Words
Red ruber Ruby, rubric
Orange aurantiacus Aurantia, aurantiaceous
Yellow flavus Flavin, flavonoid
Green viridis Viridian, verdant
Blue caeruleus Cerulean
Purple purpureus Purple, purpuric
Brown bruneus Brunette
White albus Albino, albumen
Black niger Nigrescent

Latin Colors and English Word Origins

Many English words retain traces of the Latin color names from which they developed.

Red: ruber

The Latin word ruber means red. It is related to English words such as ruby, the red gemstone, and rubric, which originally referred to writing or instructions marked in red ink.

Orange: aurantiacus

The Latin adjective aurantiacus refers to an orange color. Its sound may seem unusual at first, but repetition makes the word easier for students to remember.

Green: viridis

The Latin word viridis means green, fresh or flourishing. It is connected with words describing growth, strength and vegetation, including the English color name viridian.

Blue: caeruleus

The Latin word caeruleus describes a blue or sky-blue color and is connected with caelum, the Latin word for sky or heaven. The English word cerulean comes from this root.

Match the Latin Words to the Colors

Drag each Latin word onto its corresponding color block.

Latin words

viridis
bruneus
albus
flavus
niger
purpureus
ruber
aurantiacus
caeruleus

On a phone or tablet, tap a Latin word and then tap its matching color.

Color blocks

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to common questions about Latin color names.

The Latin word for red is ruber. Its exact form can change according to the gender, number and case of the noun it describes.

A common Latin word for blue is caeruleus, especially for a sky-blue or deep-blue color.

The Latin word viridis means green, fresh, vigorous or flourishing.

Yes. Latin adjectives normally agree with the noun they describe in gender, number and case. For example, forms related to ruber include rubra and rubrum.

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