cyan (English)

Where does "cyan" come from?

The word 'cyan' is a learned borrowing from the Ancient Greek 'kúanos,' which originally referred to a dark shade of blue enamel used to decorate armor. This term likely traces back even further to the Hittite word 'kuwannan,' which described both a precious blue stone and the metal copper. It moved through history from these ancient roots into modern science, where it now defines a specific, vibrant primary color.

Full etymology tree

• cyan (English), 'Of the colour cyan.'
  • borrowed κύανος (kúanos) (Ancient Greek), 'dark blue enamel, especially used to adorn armour'
    • inherited 𐀓𐀷𐀜 (ku-wa-no) (Mycenaean Greek)
    • derived kuwannan- (Hittite)
      • derived 𒆬𒆪 (kù.an) (Sumerian)

Direct ancestors

• κύανος (Ancient Greek)
• κυανός (Greek)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris