The debate over whether the orange fruit or the orange color came first is an interesting one. There are arguments on both sides, but the evidence seems to point to the orange color being used first historically. In this article, we’ll look at the origins of the word “orange” and how it came to refer to both a fruit and a color in order to determine which meaning likely came first.
The Etymology of “Orange”
The word “orange” originally comes from the Sanskrit word nāraṅga, which referred to a bitter orange tree. This word made its way into Persian as nārang, Arabic as nāranj, and then eventually into European languages like Spanish and Portuguese as naranja. In the early 16th century, the word was adopted into English from the French orenge.
Initially, the English word orange just referred to the fruit. The first known recorded use of “orange” in English is from the early 16th century and was in reference to the fruit imported from Portugal. It wouldn’t be until the late 16th century that the word started being used to refer to the color orange as well.
Early Use of Orange as a Color Term
One of the earliest uses of the word “orange” to refer to a color comes from a 1542 inventory of clothing that belonged to King Henry VIII. In the document, there is a reference to “One Orenge tawny Cloth garded with black velvet”. This indicates that at this time, orange was starting to be established as a color term in addition to referring to the fruit.
There are a few other early examples of orange being used to describe color in the 1500s. In 1552, a merchant from Bristol named Richard Hakluyt refers to “gaulding and redd colour and oranges tawny” when describing African textiles. Then in 1570, John Lyly’s Euphues refers to “a Gentlemans carnation silke cut upon an orange-tawny Cloth”.
So by the late 1500s, the word orange had made the leap from just referring to a fruit to also describing a reddish-yellow hue. The colorful fruit likely inspired the use of its name for a distinctive color.
Was the Orange Fruit or Color First?
Given the etymology and early history of the word “orange”, it seems clear that the orange fruit came before the orange color. The word originated in ancient India as the name of a tree that bore bitter fruit. It then made its way into various languages always referring to the orange fruit.
It wasn’t until orange fruits became more common in Europe in the early 1500s that people also started using the fruit’s name to describe a color similar to the fruit. The first recorded uses of “orange” to refer to a color emerge in the mid-late 1500s, at least a century after the word had already been established to refer to the fruit.
So while it’s impossible to give exact dates, the evidence strongly suggests that the orange fruit existed before orange became used as a color term. The fruit orange came first, and its vivid appearance later inspired the use of its name as a color word for shades of yellowish-red.
More Evidence: Early References to the Color “Yellow-red”
More evidence that the orange fruit preceded the orange color can be found in early descriptions of the color orange. Before the word “orange” became common for the color, there were other terms used to describe the reddish-yellow shade.
In Old English, the color term “ġeolurēad” was used. This literally translates to “yellow-red”. Some other early words used for orange shades were the Old French color “brunette” and the medieval Latin color “citrinus”, which means “lemon-colored”.
These descriptions confirm that orange as a color wasn’t referred to by that name originally. Other words meaning yellow-red or lemon-like colors were used. The lack of an original name for the orange color provides further support that it was the fruit that came first.
The Importance of Saffron
The origins of the orange color are linked to the spice saffron. Saffron has been used for centuries to dye clothing and textiles yellow. However, high quality saffron also has subtle orange undertones.
In Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the orange tint of saffron was especially prized. Wealthy people would wear saffron-dyed clothes as a status symbol. Since few could afford top-notch saffron, the orange color it produced was associated with the elite.
This social significance of saffron orange likely led to the increased use of the word orange to describe that color. As wealthy Europeans sought to mimic the prestige saffron orange, the name of the exotic fruit orange was an apt term to refer to that hue.
Saffron’s Role in Color Term Evolution
The pigment from saffron played an important part in the evolution of the word orange as a color:
- Saffron dyed cloth was distinctive orange-yellow in high concentrations
- Orange shades became associated with prestige in Medieval Europe
- People sought to copy the saffron orange look, needing a name for it
- The orange fruit was an appropriate inspiration for naming the color
The demand for orange textiles to match saffron eventually led to wider use of the fruit’s name for color as well.
The Fruit Orange Diffused Before the Color
Further evidence that the orange fruit preceded the orange color can be found in an analysis of how both diffused geographically. The orange fruit spread much earlier across Europe and Asia than the use of orange as a color term.
Sweet oranges were introduced to Europe from Asia around the 1500s, as traders brought them along Mediterranean and transcontinental routes. Long before the word orange was used for color, oranges were already known as fruits in countries like Portugal, Italy, France, and England.
In contrast, the use of orange as a color word didn’t spread until the 1600s. It moved from southern Europe to the north over the next few centuries. For example, the word orange meaning color didn’t appear in English until the mid-1500s. This lag shows how the colorful fruit inspired the pigment’s name, not vice versa.
Diffusion Evidence Summary
- Orange fruits spread across Europe early 1500s
- Orange color use originated 16th century
- Fruit diffusion preceded color term diffusion
- Supports idea of fruit orange before color orange
Botanical Origins of Orange Fruit
The orange fruit has ancient biological origins, which reveal it existed long before the orange color word. Citrus fruits like oranges are native to Southeast Asia and have been cultivated for thousands of years.
Early citrus hybridization resulted in bitter orange varieties, described in ancient Chinese and Indian writings. Sweet oranges arose later from a natural mutation of bitter orange trees in China around 2500 BC.
Oranges spread to Europe and Africa along trade routes during the medieval era. Spanish and Portuguese explorers then brought sweet oranges to the Americas starting in the 15th century. So the fruits had already been growing for millennia before being named “orange” in Europe.
Four Early Orange Fruits
| Fruit Name | Native Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bitter orange | Southeast Asia | Pale orange peel, very tart pulp |
| Mandarin orange | China & Japan | Small, sweet and tangy |
| Blood orange | Mediterranean | Reddish flesh and juice |
| Sweet orange | China | Thick peel, sweet juicy pulp |
This table summarizes some early true orange fruits from Asia that preceded the European color term for orange.
Symbolic Meaning of Orange Fruits
Orange fruits had social and symbolic significance in cultures going back thousands of years. People saw them as sacred, magical, and precious fruits.
In ancient China, oranges were believed to bring good luck and happiness. Giving oranges as gifts during New Year celebrations was an old tradition representing wealth and fortune.
In India, bitter oranges were revered in Hinduism and Buddhism as auspicious fruits. The orange color of saffron was holy in Hinduism too. Ancient Sanskrit texts describe rituals with orange fruits and saffron dye.
These symbolic orange fruit traditions provide more evidence that oranges predated the use of their name as a color term. The fruits were culturally important on their own before people applied their name to describe a hue.
Early Meanings of Orange Fruit
- Good luck and prosperity (China)
- Sacredness and divinity (India)
- Life and fertility (Ancient Egypt)
- Health and vitality (Persia)
These symbolic orange fruit associations existed long before the orange color usage in Europe.
Linguistic Consistency
Examining other color words provides linguistics evidence that orange as a fruit preceded orange as a color name. For other color terms derived from foods, the food meanings are older.
For instance, the word “cherry” dates back to the Old North French word cherise around 1300 AD referring to the red fruit. It wasn’t until 1509 that it was first recorded referring to the reddish color.
Similarly, the word “lemon” traces back to Arabic and Persian words for the lemon fruit by around 1000 AD. The first recorded use of lemon to describe a color was not until 1828.
This pattern reinforces that orange as a fruit most likely preceded its use as a color term, consistent with linguistics and etymology of other food color words.
Food Color Word Origins
| Food | Year Named as Food | Year Named as Color |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | Early 1500s | Mid 1500s |
| Cherry | 1300 AD | 1509 AD |
| Lemon | 1000 AD | 1828 AD |
This table shows how orange as a fruit preceded orange as a color term, consistent with the pattern for other food-based color words.
Conclusion
In summary, extensive evidence supports that the orange fruit existed well before the first recorded uses of orange as a color term in the mid-1500s. The original word orange comes from ancient Sanskrit and referred only to the fruit for over a millennium. Oranges had been cultivated across the world and held cultural symbolic meaning long before orange was used as a color name. The vivid hue of orange fruits like citrons, mandarins, and mellow oranges inspired its eventual use as a color term starting in the mid-1500s. So while both the orange fruit and color are now ubiquitous, historical linguistics and etymology make clear that the brilliant orange fruit came first.
