Black is a color that has held cultural significance and symbolism throughout human history. There are many poetic, descriptive names and phrases that have been used to refer to the color black. Here are some of the more unique, special names for black and their origins.
Ebony
One of the most common poetic names for the color black is “ebony.” Ebony is a dense black wood that comes from various species of trees in the genus Diospyros. The word originated from the ancient Egyptian word “hebeny,” meaning ebony. This name dates back thousands of years and refers to the deep, rich black color of ebony wood. Ebony has a smooth, intense black color so it is often associated with the essence of blackness.
Sable
Sable is another term for black that refers to the luscious, dark fur of the sable animal. Sables are marten species that originated in Russia and have black or nearly black fur. Their fur was historically highly prized and valuable in Russia, leading to the use of sable as a luxurious name for the color. Calling something “sable” suggests deep, shimmering blackness like the fur of the sable.
Raven
The raven is a large, intelligent black bird that has cultural significance in many ancient mythologies and folklore. Ravens are all black, with rich blue and purple iridescence on their feathers. The bird’s deep black coloration connects it to darkness, mystery, and magic. Calling a color “raven” evokes the supernatural connotations of the bird’s inky plumage. Edgar Allen Poe used this name in his famous poem “The Raven.”
Jet
Jet is an organic black mineraloid that forms from decaying wood under high pressure. Ancient Romans valued jet and carved jewelry from it to wear in mourning because of its pure, intense black color. The smooth, deep black of jet led to the term becoming a name for very dark black. Something “jet black” is as darkly black as the mineraloid itself.
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony quartz that features black and white banding. Pure black onyx is uniformly black chalcedony. The name comes from the Ancient Greek for “claw” or “fingernail” because onyx stones resembled black fingernails. Much later, onyx became associated with black manicured fingernails. Therefore, the name carries connotations of perfect, flawless blackness.
Pitch
Pitch is a sticky, thick black substance produced by the distillation of organic materials like wood or petroleum. The blackness of pitch makes it a vivid metaphor for blackness. Calling a color “pitch black” means it is deeply, absolutely black like pitch. This name has been in use since at least the 1300s.
Eclipse
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the earth and sun, completely blocking the sun’s light. The shadow cast on the earth by the moon is eerily black. The stark blackness of an eclipse led to “eclipse black” being used to describe something extremely black. It suggests a blackness that blots out light.
Shadow
Shadows are areas blocked from light, so they appear black. The name “shadow black” compares a very dark black to the blackness of shadows. It implies depth and obscurity, like the blackness lurking in shadows. Calling a color “shadow black” means it is dark and shaded like a shadow.
Soot
Soot is a black powdery substance produced by combustion. It has an extremely black color. The term “soot black” refers to the pure blackness of soot to describe something with a deep, powdery, opaque black color like the soot created by fire. Soot black suggests a dusty, powdery quality to the blackness.
Witch
Witches in folklore would often wear long black robes. Their association with the supernatural and mystery gave black a magical connotation. Referring to something as “witch black” implies the color has an eerie, supernatural blackness like the clothing of a witch.
Dungeon
Dungeons are underground rooms that get no natural light, so they have an intense, surrounding blackness. The word “dungeon” evokes darkness and imprisonment. Describing a color as “dungeon black” suggests it has the utter blackness found when deprived of light like in a dungeon.
Midnight
Midnight is the middle of the night when it is darkest outside. Midnight black signifies the dark, pitch blackness seen outside at midnight. It implies enveloping darkness with no light pollution or stars. Midnight black is deeply dark like the starred sky at the stroke of 12.
Ravenous
Ravenous means extremely hungry. Poetically, “ravenous black” suggests a black with a hungry, all-consuming darkness like a ravenous appetite. Ravenous black has shades of intense, greedy blackness.
Infernal
Infernal means hellish relating to the underworld and hell. Infernal black is an intense, hellish black with fiery, sinister connotations. Just as inferno refers to hell, infernal black poetically refers to a hellishly dark, fiery black.
Deathly
Deathly black describes a silent, deep black that invokes death, mourning, and loss. Just as death leaves a dark emptiness, deathly black suggests the utter black that comes with death. A color that is deathly black evokes grieving through its darkness.
Corpse
A corpse is a dead body that has lost all color and life. The term “corpse black” refers to the dark, empty blackness of a corpse. It implies an absolute black the same hue as a deceased body drained of blood and life.
Abysmal
Abysmal means extremely bad or bottomless. “Abysmal black” describes a black color so deep it seems bottomless, like an abyss. Just as an abyss has an endless darkness, abysmal black refers to a fathomless blackness.
Funereal
Funereal means relating to death, especially funeral rites. Funereal black describes the grim, joyless black worn at funerals. Calling a color “funereal black” suggests a somber, mourning black reminding of mortality and loss.
Devilish
Devilish means evil, wicked and cunning. The term “devilish black” refers to a mischievous, sinister black. It implies the color has a playful, villainous trickery like an impish demon. Devilish black has shades of vice and naughtiness.
Serpentine
Serpents like snakes and dragons are associated with danger and evil, often depicted with black scales or skin. “Serpentine black” describes a writhing, scaled black like a snake. It suggests a creeping, curling blackness related to stealth and poison like a viper.
Vantablack
Vantablack is the blackest artificial substance ever created. It absorbs 99.99% of light by microscopic carbon nanotubes. Vantablack appears as an endless, two-dimensional void. Using “Vantablack” to poetically describe a black color means it seems as deep, infinite, and light-absorbing as the ultra-black material.
Tar
Tar is a thick, sticky black liquid. Tar black describes the deep black color of tar. It suggests a color so sticky-looking and opaque that no light penetrates its surface. Tar black is thickly dark like spilled tar.
Widow
Widows wear black out of mourning after their spouses die. Their grief symbolically stains their clothes black. Calling a color “widow black” poetically suggests the bleak, mournful black of a widow’s wardrobe that signifies loss.
Raccoon
Raccoons have a distinctive “bandit mask” pattern around their eyes due to black fur. Their tails also have black rings. “Raccoon black” refers to the mischievous, sneaky black of a raccoon’s fur. It suggests playful tricky blackness.
Crow
Crows have shiny, blue-black feathers that appear slick like oil or waterproofing. Describing a color as “crow black” suggests a liquidy black with hints of blue iridescence like crow feathers. It has an oily, slick impression.
Plague
The Black Plague was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. The term “plague black” refers to a vile, lethal black that invokes disease, suffering, and death like the Black Plague. It has connotations of sickness and horror.
Executioner
Executioners wear dark hoods to conceal their faces as they enact death sentences. “Executioner black” describes the ominous, lethal black of an executioner’s hood. It implies an impending, inevitable sense of doom through its darkness.
Grave
Graves and tombstones are bleak symbols of death often carved from dark stone. The term “grave black” means a solemn, stony black as dark as a grave or headstone. It has a classic, Gothic deathliness.
Sinner
Sinners are associated with vice, corruption and immorality. In literature, sinners are often clothed in black to represent impurity. “Sinner black” means a wicked black shade representing temptation, hedonism, and depravity.
Abbysal
Abbysal means extremely dark, dismal, and bottomless. Something that is abbysally black evokes infinitude and the unplumbable depths of a lightless abyss that has swallowed all illumination. It suggests a despairing blackness drained of hope.
Stygian
In Greek mythology, the River Styx flowed through the Underworld realm of the dead. Its waters were abysmally black. Thus, the term “Stygian black” refers to an utterly dark, deathly black from the depths of the mythic Underworld.
Dejected
A person who is dejected feels hopeless and miserable. “Dejected black” refers to a melancholy black shade that reflects dejection’s lonely despair. It evokes a joyless, depressed darkness of the soul.
Bereaved
Bereavement is the state of grievous loss after a loved one’s death. “Bereaved black” conveys the color of mournful suffering that bereavement brings. It signifies a black bleached of life and happiness.
Wretched
Wretchedness is the quality of being miserable or contemptible. “Wretched black” expresses a blackened state of distress and despair through its bleak darkness. It represents a color drained of any vitality.
Null
Mathematically, null means completely without value. “Null black” refers to a fathomless black that negates light and color. It is an utter void, suggesting absence, emptiness, and oblivion.
Shadowy
Something shadowy is dim, vague, and murky. “Shadowy black” describes a diffuse, ill-defined blackness like a shadow. It has an obscure, uncertain darkness with blurred edges.
Lightless
Being lightless means devoid of light. “Lightless black” refers to a supremely dark black from which all traces of light are banished. It is a pure black without compromises, as inky as a place without light.
Dusky
Dusk is the time of gathering darkness before night truly falls. “Dusky black” describes a black subtly tinged with the last traces of daylight, evoking the gloaming. It is a shadowed, somber black verging toward night.
Fathomless
Something fathomless has no measurable depths. “Fathomless black” suggests an unfathomably dark black beyond comprehension. It implies an absolute, infinite black too deep to be grasped.
Lusterless
Luster refers to a surface’s brightness and shine. Something lusterless lacks sheen. “Lusterless black” describes a perfectly matte black with no hint of reflection or glow. It is a light-absorbing black void.
Dead
Dead means no longer living. “Dead black” refers to the empty black of necrosis and decay. It evokes the chill darkness of the grave and the transition from life to death.
Depressed
Depressed means sinking inward, like pressing down. “Depressed black” conveys a dispiriting blackness of sunken spirits and despair. It evokes an emotionally as well as visually dark black.
Charred
Charring is burning something black. “Charred black” refers to a sooty black left behind by fire and combustion. It suggests the darkness of ashes and cinders.
Endless
Something endless continues forever. “Endless black” describes a fathomlessly dark black stretching boundlessly through space and time. It is an infinite, perpetually vast black.
Light-devouring
To devour means to hungrily consume. “Light-devouring black” imagines a ravenous blackness that swallows all illumination. It signifies a supremely dense, voracious black.
Sightless
Sightlessness is the state of lacking vision or eyesight. “Sightless black” poetically describes a profoundly dark black that negates vision. It is an immense, surrounding blackness.
Devoid
Devoid means empty or destitute. “Devoid black” refers to an utterly vacant black that is scraped clean and stripped bare of light. It suggests a hollow, vacant black.
Velvety
Velvet has a lush, soft texture. “Velvety black” describes rich, matte blackness with a silky dark feel. It evokes black velvet’s tactile sensuality.
Opaque
Opaque means impossible to see through. “Opaque black” conveys a supremely dense, impenetrable solid black. No shades or highlights penetrate its uniformity.
Lustrous
Lustrous means having a refined, glossy shine. “Lustrous black” describes a sleek black with pleasing highlights. It is shimmery and luminous despite being dark.
Infinite
Infinite means having no boundaries or limits. “Infinite black” poetically evokes a fathomless black extending endlessly through space and time. It is profoundly dark and boundless.
Blank
Blank means empty, clear, or void. “Blank black” refers to a pure black devoid of anything else. It is a slate-like darkness lacking other colors or visual interest.
Deep
Deep signifies having great extent from top to bottom. “Deep black” conveys a massively dark black with a feeling of abyssal profundity. It seems to stretch down endlessly.
Mine
Coal mines contain deep, extensive tunnels and pits. Thus “mine black” compares a color to the rich, subterranean blackness found in mines full of coal or ore.
Cosmic
The cosmos refers to the vastness of outer space. “Cosmic black” poetically describes the fathomless black found between stars and galaxies in the night sky.
Smoldering
To smolder means to burn slowly without flame. “Smoldering black” refers to a brooding, simmering blackness like coal. It suggests hidden fire and tension.
Silk
Some silk fabrics are intensely dark and sleek. “Silk black” evokes the shimmery texture and sheen of black silk. It’s a rich, sensual black.
Hole
A hole is a hollow empty space. “Hole black” imagines a uniformly black space with no light or variation, like an empty hole.
Cosmic Void
The “cosmic void” refers to the unfathomable emptiness of outer space. “Cosmic void black” evokes this boundless interstellar darkness that stretches into infinity.
Sleep
Sleep represents slumber, dreams, and unconsciousness. “Sleep black” suggests the softly enveloping darkness experienced in deep, dreaming sleep.
Slick
Slick means smooth, glossy, and slippery. “Slick black” describes a sleek, wet-looking black, like oil or pond water.
Ghostly
Ghosts are associated with a pallid whiteness. But “ghostly black
