Adam Norwood

Site navigation:

  • About
  • Notes
  • RSS
Search
Cancel Search

January 12, 2014

The color gray in full bloom – OUPblog

“In A Descriptive Handbook of Modern Water Colours, by J. Scott Taylor…. London: Winsor and Newton, 1887, neutral tint is described as ‘A compound shadow colour of a cool neutral character. It is not very permanent, as the gray is apt to become grey by exposure’. Has anyone besides this author ever made a distinction of meaning between gray and grey? I do not know how the distinction is to be converted in speaking unless the words are differently pronounced” (1897).

Glad to know that the gray / grey split in English has been confusing people for well over 115 years. What’s going on in pigment company Winsor & Newton’s world where gray turns into grey eventually? An interesting read about the etymology of the mysterious color and it’s uncertain linguistic origins.

Go check it out →

Tagged:

  • art
  • colors
  • english
  • gray
  • grey
  • history
  • language
  • linguistics
  • paint
© 2022 unless otherwise noted. See you soon! ↑