Blue
4543
226110555
2008-07-16T21:31:06Z
Leonard^Bloom
5620165
Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/142.163.96.250|142.163.96.250]] to last version by Tj9991 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
{{otheruses1|the colour}}
{{Infobox colour|title=Blue
|pic=Image:Color icon blue.svg
|wavelength=440–490
|symbolism=[[ice]], [[water]], [[sky]], winter, [[Judaism]], [[boys]], [[cold]], [[calm]], [[heaven]], and [[sadness]].
|hex=0000FF|textcolor=white|
spelling=Colour|
r=0|g=0|b=255|rgbspace=[[sRGB color space|sRGB]]|
source=[[Web colors#HTML color names|HTML/CSS]]<ref name="css3-color">[http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-color/#html4 W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, HTML4 color keywords]</ref>
<!--c=100|m=100|y=0|k=0|
h=240|s=100|v=100|-->
}}
'''Blue''' is a [[colour]]<!-- NOTE: Not "color": this article is in British English, and should stay that way, per [[WP:ENGVAR]] -->, the [[perception]] of which is evoked by [[light]] having a spectrum dominated by energy with a [[wavelength]] of roughly 440–490 [[Nanometre|nm]]. It is considered one of the [[additive color|additive]] [[primary color|primary colours]]. On the [[HSL and HSV|HSV Colour Wheel]], the [[Complementary color|complement]] of blue is [[yellow]]; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal mixture of [[red]] and [[green]] light. On a colour wheel based on traditional colour theory ([[RYB color model|RYB]]), the complementary colour to blue is considered to be [[orange (colour)|orange]] (based on the [[Munsell color system|Munsell colour wheel]]).<ref>[http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/g_color_wheel.html Glossary Term: Color wheel]</ref>
The [[English language]] commonly uses "blue" to refer to any colour from [[navy blue]] to [[cyan]]. The word itself is derived from the [[Old French]] word ''bleu''.
==Etymology and definitions==
[[Image:BlueberriesBig.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Blueberries]]
The [[modern English]] word ''blue'' comes from the [[Middle English]], ''bleu'' or ''blwe'', which came from an [[Old French]] word ''bleu'' of [[Germanic language|Germanic]] origin (Frankish or possibly [[Old High German]] ''blao'', "shining"). ''Bleu'' replaced Old English ''blaw''. The root of these variations was the Proto-Germanic ''blæwaz'', which was also the root of the Old Norse word ''bla'' and the modern [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] ''blár'', and the [[North Germanic languages|Scandinavian]] word ''blå'', but it can refer to other colours. <!-- It can also be green or orange occasionally (blue). --> A [[Scots language|Scots]] and [[Scottish English]] word for "blue-grey" is ''blae'', from the Middle English ''bla'' ("dark blue," from the [[Old English language|Old English]] ''blæd''). Ancient Greek lacked a word for colour blue and [[Homer]] called the colour of the sea "wine dark", except that the word ''kyanos'' (cyan) was used for dark blue enamel.
As a curiosity, ''blue'' is thought to be cognate with ''[[blond]]'', ''[[blank]]'' and ''[[black]]'' through the Germanic word. Through a [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root, it is also linked with Latin ''flavus'' ("yellow"; see ''[[flavescent]]'' and ''[[flavine]]''), with Greek ''phalos'' (white), French ''blanc'' (white, blank) (loaned from [[Old Frankish language|Old Frankish]]), and with Russian белый, ''belyi'' ("white," see ''[[beluga]]''), and Welsh ''blawr'' (grey) all of which derive (according to the ''[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|American Heritage Dictionary]]'') from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] [[Root (linguistics)|root]] ''*bhel-'' meaning "to shine, flash or burn", (more specifically the word bhle-was, which meant light coloured, blue, blond, or yellow), whence came the names of various bright colours, and that of colour black from a derivation meaning "burnt" (other words derived from the root ''*bhel-'' include ''[[bleach]]'', ''[[bleak]]'', ''[[blind]]'', ''[[blink]]'', ''[[blank]]'', ''[[blush]]'', ''[[blaze]]'', ''[[flame]]'', ''[[fulminate]]'', ''flagrant'' and ''[[phlegm]]'').
In the English language, blue may refer to the feeling of sadness. "He was feeling blue". This is because blue was related to rain, or storms, and in Greek mythology, the god [[Zeus]] would make rain when he was sad (crying), and a storm when he was angry. ''Kyanos'' was a name used in [[Ancient Greek]] to refer to ''dark blue tile'' (in [[English (language)|English]] it means blue-green or [[cyan]]).<ref>''Merriam-Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary'' Springfield, Mass.:1984--Merriam-Webster Page 319 </ref>
Many languages do not have [[Distinguishing blue from green in language|separate terms for blue and or green]], instead using a cover term for both (when the issue is discussed in linguistics, this cover term is sometimes called ''[[grue (color)#Grue as used to translate a color name in natural languages|grue]]'' in English). Blue is commonly used on internet browsers to colour a link that has not been clicked; when a link has been clicked it changes yellow or orange or purple.
==In science==
[[Image:2001-12-Royan-Plage.JPG|200px|thumb|The sky and water often appear blue.]]
===Pigments===
Traditionally, blue has been considered a primary colour in painting, with the secondary colour [[orange (colour)|orange]] as its complement.
Blue pigments include [[azurite]], [[ultramarine]], [[cerulean blue]], [[cobalt blue]], and [[Prussian blue]] (milori blue).
===Scientific natural standards for blue===
* Emission spectrum of Cu<sup>2+</sup>
* Electronic spectrum of aqua-ions Cu(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>5</sub><sup>2+</sup>
===Animals===
[[Image:Aphelocoma californica (noelzialee) 1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|a blue jay]]
*When an [[animal]]'s coat is described as "blue", it usually refers to a shade of grey that takes on a bluish tint, a diluted variant of a pure black coat.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} This designation is used for a variety of animals, including [[coat (dog)|dog coats]], some [[rat]] coats, [[cat coat genetics|cat coats]], some [[list of chicken breeds|chicken breed]]s, and some [[equine coat color|horse coat colours]].
==Blue in human culture==
===Psychology===
* Blue often represents the human emotion of sadness, e.g. "He was feeling blue".
===Music===
* The [[blues]] is a style of music originated by [[African Americans]]. Contrary to popular belief it is not called [[Blues]] because its lyrics are depressing but because its scale is inclusive of the "dark notes" or [[blue notes]].
* In 1999 [[Eiffel 65]] released the song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)," a hugely popular [[Eurodance]] song which peaked at #2 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] in the United States, and reached #1 in 17 countries.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
* [[Blue (boy band)|Blue]] is also the name of an English pop boy band.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
===National colours===
[[Image:Coat of arms of Israel.svg|thumb|200px|right|Coat of Arms symbol of Israel]]
* ''[[Azure (color)|Azzurro]]'' (meaning sky), a light blue, is the national colour of [[Italy]] (from the [[livery]] colour of the former reigning family, the [[House of Savoy]]){{Fact|date=December 2007}}.
* Blue is the national sports colour for [[India]], as it denotes [[secularism]].
* Blue is the national colour used on flags of several countries surrounded by seas or oceans such as [[Australia]], and also of [[Europe]] as a whole (not just the [[European Union]] that also uses the same flag).
* Blue and white are the national colours of [[Scotland]], [[Finland]] and the Central American countries of [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], and [[Nicaragua]], as well as [[Greece]], [[Israel]] and of the [[United Nations Organization]] using a light shade of blue symbolizing peace.
* Blue and yellow are the national colours of [[Sweden]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Barbados]], and along with green, of [[Brazil]], and along with red, of [[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]], [[Ecuador]], [[Chad]], [[Romania]], and [[Moldova]].
* Red and blue are the national colours of [[Romania]], [[Liechtenstein]] and [[Haiti]], and along with white (where it composed the French [[tricolour]] whose simple design or colors were taken by other countries), [[The United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Norway]], the [[Czech Republic]], [[Slovakia]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Costa Rica]], [[Serbia]], [[Croatia]], [[Paraguay]], [[Iceland]], [[Panama]], [[Russia]], [[Cuba]], [[Chile]], [[Thailand]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Liberia]], [[Nepal]], [[Slovenia]], [[South Korea]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
===Mysticism===
* [[Psychic]]s who claim to be able to observe the [[Aura (paranormal)|aura]] with their [[third eye]] report that someone with a blue aura is a person who is oriented toward [[spirituality]].<ref> [[Swami Panchadasi]] ''The Human Aura: Astral Colors and Thought Forms'' Des Plaines, Illinois, USA:1912--Yogi Publications Society Page 36</ref> People with blue auras are said to be interested in social service work and to be in occupations such as [[social worker]], [[counselor]], [[teacher]], [[writer]], and [[psychologist]].<ref> Oslie, Pamalie ''Life Colors: What the Colors in Your Aura Reveal'' Novato, California:2000--New World Library Blue Auras: Pages 117-130 </ref>
===Politics===
{{main|Political colour}}
{{Unreferencedsection|date=October 2007}}
*Blue has been associated with a variety of political positions, often differentiated from [[communist]] [[red]] or [[anarchism|anarchist]] [[black]]. During the [[revolt in the Vendée]] against the French revolution, blues stood for the revolutionary forces, and white for the counter-revolutionaries. Later movements like the [[Breton blues]] used the colour to signify allegiance to the ideals of the revolution. {{Fact|date=December 2007}}
*In the [[United Kingdom]] and Canada blue is the colour of the respective [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Conservative Party of Canada|Parties]]. In the [[United States]], however, it has become fashionable since the 2000 Presidential Election to refer to the [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] as "blue" and the [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican Party]] as "red", particularly as in reference to "[[red states and blue states]]".
*The [[Blue Dog Coalition|Blue Dog Democrats]] are a group of conservative Democrats in the [[United States House of Representatives]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
[[Image:Blue dragon dance.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Blue dragon dance]]
===Religion===
*Blue in Hinduism: Many of the gods are depicted as having blue-coloured skin, particularly those associated with [[Vishnu]], who is said to be the Preserver of the world and thus intimately connected to water. [[Krishna]] and [[Ram]], Vishnu's avatars, are always blue. [[Shiva]], the Destroyer, is also depicted in light blue tones and is called ''neela kantha'', or blue-throated, for having swallowed poison in an attempt to turn the tide of a battle between the gods and demons in the gods' favour.
*[[Blue in Judaism]]: In the [[Torah]]<ref> [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 15:38.</ref>, the [[Israelites]] were commanded to put fringes, ''[[tzitzit]]'', on the corners of their garments, and to weave within these fringes a "twisted thread of blue (''tekhelet'')".<ref>http://www.tekhelet.com The Ptil Tekhelet Organization</ref> In ancient days, this blue thread was made from a dye extracted from a Mediterranean snail called the ''hilazon''. [[Maimonides]] claimed that this blue was the colour of "the clear noonday sky"; [[Rashi]], the colour of the evening sky.<ref> ''[[Mishneh Torah]]'', ''Tzitzit'' 2:1; Commentary on Numbers 15:38.</ref> According to several rabbinic sages, blue is the colour of God's Glory.<ref> ''[[Numbers Rabbah]]'' 14:3; ''[[Hullin]]'' 89a.</ref> Staring at this colour aids in mediation, bringing us a glimpse of the "pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity", which is a likeness of the Throne of God.<ref> [[Exodus]] 24:10; [[Ezekiel]] 1:26; ''[[Hullin]]'' 89a.</ref> (The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word for glory.) Many items in the ''[[Mishkan]]'', the portable sanctuary in the wilderness, such as the ''[[Menorah (Temple)|menorah]]'', many of the vessels, and the [[Ark of the Covenant]], were covered with blue cloth when transported from place to place.<ref> [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 4:6-12.</ref>
===Symbolism===
* In [[Thailand]], blue is associated with Friday on the [[Thai solar calendar]]. Anyone may wear blue on Fridays and anyone born on a Friday may adopt blue as their colour. The [[Thai language]], however, is one that has had trouble [[Distinguishing blue from green in language|distinguishing blue from green]]. The default word for Blue was recently สีน้ำเงิน literally, the colour of silver, a poetical reference to the silvery sheen of the deep blue sea. It now means Navy Blue, and the default word is now สีฟ้า literally, the colour of the sky.<ref>[http://www.thai-language.com/dict/ thai-language.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*In the early 1960s, the [[United States Air Force]] ran a television commercial with this jingle:
They took the blue from the [[sky|skies]] <br />
And the pretty [[girl]]s' [[eyes]] <br />
And a touch of [[Old Glory]] too; <br />
And gave it to the men who proudly wear the U. S. Air Force Blue!
==Variations of blue==
===Dark blue===
{{infobox color|
title=Dark blue|hex=00008B|textcolor=white|
spelling=colour|
r=0|g=0|b=139|
c=1|m=1|y=0|k=0.455|
h=240|s=100|v= 25
|source=[[Web color#X11 color list|X11]]}}
'''Dark blue''' is a shade of [[blue]].
The name comes from the word "[[Dark]]" (which originated from [[Old English]] dark, derk, deork; [[Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon]] dearc, and [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]] and [[Irish language|Irish]] dorch, dorcha) and "Blue" (taken from [[French language|French]] and originated from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] root bhlewos).
===Medium blue===
{{infobox color|
title=Medium blue|hex=0000CD|textcolor=white|
spelling=colour|
r=0|g=0|b=205|
c=1|m=1|y=0|k=0.455|
h=240|s=100|v=40
|source=[[Web color#X11 color list|X11]]}}
Displayed at right is the colour '''medium blue'''.
{{-}}
===Light blue===
{{infobox color|title=Light Blue|hex=ADD8E6|textcolor=black|
r=173|g=216|b=230|
c= 50|m= 50|y= 0|k= 0|
h=240|s= 90|v= 80|
spelling=colour
|source=[[Web color#X11 color list|X11]]}}
The web colour '''light blue''' is displayed in the colour box at right.
The first recorded use of "light blue" as a colour term in [[English (language)|English]] is in the year 1915 . <ref> Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190 </ref>
===Variations of blue in culture===
'''[[Fashion]]'''
* Dark [[clothing]] for [[male]]s such as dark blue [[business suit]]s have become much more popular since about 1995{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, as opposed to the [[pastel]] coloured business suits worn in the 1970s by major [[Leadership|leaders]] in such institutions as the [[United States Congress]] (the vast difference in the clothing worn in the 1970s as opposed to the 2000s can be readily seen by looking at a [[videotape]] of the [[Watergate hearings]]).
'''[[Film]]'''
* [[Dark Blue]] is a [[2002 in film|2002]] [[film]] directed by [[Ron Shelton]].
'''Law Enforcement'''
* [[Police]] normally wear dark blue or, sometimes, medium blue [[uniform]]s (However, the [[New Age]] [[philosopher]] [[Alan Watts]] suggested in the 1960s that police ought to wear [[baby blue]] uniforms.).
'''[[Music]]'''
* ''Dark Blue'' is a [[song]] on the 2005 [[CD]] [[Everything in Transit]], the debut album of [[Jack's Mannequin]].
'''[[Human sexuality|Sexuality]]'''
* In the [[bandana code]] of the [[Gay (term)|gay]] [[leather subculture]], wearing a medium blue [[Kerchief|bandana]] means one is into the [[sexual fetish|fetish]] of having [[Homosexuality|sex]] with someone who is wearing a [[police]] [[Uniform fetish|uniform]]. <ref> Card showing list of bandana colours and their meanings, available at Image Leather, 2199 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94114 </ref>
'''[[Sociology]]'''
* Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. In [[Western civilization]], those in the [[upper class]]es in high places of [[Politics|political]] or [[Economics|economic]] power often wear dark blue [[Business suit|suits]]. Ordinary members of the [[working class]] (especially those who work in the [[computer industry]]) often refer derisively to these [[management]] functionaries as ''the suits''. <ref>''The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage'', Clifford Stoll, 1989, ISBN 0-7434-1146-3 </ref> This terminology is also used in the [[Film industry|television industry]]--the [[TV network|network]] executives are often referred to by the creative people ([[actor]]s, [[Television director|director]]s, and [[screenwriter]]s) as ''the suits''. <ref> Shatner, William (with Chris Kreski) ''Star Trek Memories'' New York:1993 Harper Collins </ref>
*In historical [[atlas (cartography)|atlas]]es published in [[Germany]], light blue is traditionally used as a colour to represent Germany, as opposed to [[pink]] for England, [[purple]] for [[France]], and [[Variations of green|light green]] for [[Russia]]. <ref> See the ''Grosshistoricher Weltatlas'', 1965 edition (Other German historical atlases use these same colours.)</ref>
==See also==
* [[Blue flag]]
* [[Blue movie]]
* [[Turquoise]]
* [[Distinguishing "blue" from "green" in language]]
* [[Engineer's blue]]
* [[Non-photo blue]]
* [[Lapis lazuli]], a blue stone
* [[List of colours]]
* ''[[Three Colors: Blue|Three Colours: Blue]]'', a film
* [[Blue ribbon]]
* [[St. Patrick's Blue]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{wiktionarypar|blue}}
{{commonscat|blue}}
*[http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1055/144/ All About the Colour Blue]
{{EMSpectrum}}
{{web colors|colour}}
{{Shades of blue|*}}
[[Category:Optical spectrum]]
[[Category:Symbols of California]]
[[af:Blou (kleur)]]
[[ar:أزرق]]
[[an:Azul]]
[[arc:ܙܪܩܐ]]
[[ast:Azul]]
[[gn:Hovy]]
[[ay:Larama]]
[[az:Mavi]]
[[zh-min-nan:Nâ-sek]]
[[map-bms:Biru]]
[[bs:Plava]]
[[bg:Син цвят]]
[[ca:Blau]]
[[cs:Modrá]]
[[cy:Glas]]
[[da:Blå]]
[[pdc:Bloh]]
[[de:Blau]]
[[et:Sinine]]
[[el:Μπλε]]
[[es:Azul]]
[[eo:Blua]]
[[eu:Urdin]]
[[fa:آبی]]
[[fr:Bleu]]
[[ga:Gorm]]
[[gl:Azul]]
[[gan:藍]]
[[hak:Làm-set]]
[[ko:파랑]]
[[hi:नीला]]
[[hr:Plava]]
[[id:Biru]]
[[is:Blár]]
[[it:Blu]]
[[he:כחול]]
[[jv:Biru]]
[[pam:Iro]]
[[ht:Ble (koulè)]]
[[ku:Şîn]]
[[la:Caeruleus]]
[[lb:Blo]]
[[lt:Mėlyna]]
[[ln:Bozinga]]
[[hu:Kék]]
[[mt:Ikħal]]
[[ms:Biru]]
[[nah:Texohtic]]
[[myv:Сэнь]]
[[nl:Blauw]]
[[ja:青]]
[[ce:Сийна]]
[[no:Blå]]
[[nn:Blå]]
[[nrm:Bliu]]
[[nds:Blau]]
[[pl:Barwa niebieska]]
[[pt:Azul]]
[[ro:Albastru]]
[[qu:Anqas]]
[[ru:Синий цвет]]
[[sa:नील]]
[[sco:Blue]]
[[simple:Blue]]
[[sk:Modrá]]
[[sl:Modra]]
[[sr:Плава боја]]
[[sh:Plavo]]
[[fi:Sininen]]
[[sv:Blå]]
[[tl:Asul]]
[[ta:நீலம்]]
[[te:నీలము]]
[[th:สีน้ำเงิน]]
[[vi:Xanh lam]]
[[tg:Кабуд]]
[[tr:Mavi]]
[[uk:Синій колір]]
[[ur:نیلا]]
[[wo:Baxa]]
[[yi:בלוי]]
[[zh-yue:藍]]
[[zh:藍色]]