French Colours
Roch Rollin
When you start enjoying old roses, you will inevitably come across French names and French descriptions. This may be a bit daunting if the language of Molière is less familiar to you than the Queen's English. However, this need not be an insoluble problem.
I have compiled a list of most of the colour words you are likely to encounter. Each is followed by its English equivalent; and the translation of the French definition. You will also find notes on cultural differences where needed.
Let's get the technical aspects of colour words out of the way first. In French, all nouns have a gender. They are either masculine or feminine, none are neutral. Don't look for logic in this, it's totally illogical. The genders where inherited from Latin, which wasn't very logical in this regard either. But then, few languages are. An example of this: roses and violets are feminine, but carnations and irises are masculine. There are numerous exceptions to every single rule, just to make things interesting and prevent you from resting on your laurels.
In the list, I use the conventional format; the basic masculine singular form of nouns and adjectives is listed first. It is followed, where applicable, by the feminine modifier, usually an 'e' that is tacked on the end of the masculine form. I won't get into the grammatical side of things; there are numerous excellent grammars available on the market; I use an older edition of Grévisse's: Le bon Usage, in case you're interested.
Now we get to the nitty gritty, the actual colour words and their meaning.
Some colour words are imprecise to say the least. And there are some notable examples of colour not being the same when translated from French to English, or the other way around.
For example, it came as a shock to me to discover that pourpre doesn't mean the same in French as purple does in English. In French pourpre means the colour of a Cardinal's robes, a very vivid, intense red with a very slight blueish cast; while in English it is a colour close to violet, and blue grapes.
I can only speculate that this may be due to the original dyestuff that could produce two different colours depending on the process used.* Regular purple was the redder colour, while Tyrian purple was the darker violet shade. Why one should catch on with the Latin French and the other with the English is a mystery to me.
Another puzzling colour word is pink. I have been unable to find a French equivalent. We use the rose, Rosa species, as the basis of comparison for pink tints (rose, rosé, rosâtre) while in English, pinks, Dianthus sp., ( pink, pinkish ) are the root of this colour.
Blush is a definite problem, there is no exact translation for this word. We use 'rose', or a circumlocution as in 'Cuisse de nymphe émue' literally translated as 'Thigh of a moved nymph' in the sense that she is emotionally responding to some unknown stimulus. If so moved, she presumably blushes down to her thighs? I haven't met any nymphs, so I haven't been able to check the extent of their blushing capacities.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, colours were already being given fancy names, like the modern paint samples at the hardware store. At one point, the colour 'caca-dauphin' was all the rage; it doesn't sound so good in English: crown-prince's poop colour, a greenish yellow. Many of these colours didn't last, they were commercial gimmicks designed to take advantage of a fad, and disappeared with the arrival of the next craze.
The colours used to describe roses have lasted pretty well. Some have become rare, but most are still in use. If you expect to order roses from French Nurseries or to enjoy old rose books, the following list should be helpful. I have listed most French colour words that can be applied to roses, followed by the English equivalent, and an English translation of the French definition.
Don't be too surprised if some of the definitions don't exactly match your idea of the colour. Until the last quarter of the 19th century, the bright intense colours of today just didn't exist. The people of those days would see a red colour as much redder than we would see it today. Same goes for yellow. In all likelihood, they would also have a tendency to see more subtle differences in close tints of pink for example. This would naturally apply to nurserymen, who had more training in colour discrimination, and a short term commercial advantage in introducing roses with almost identical flowers. And they did it constantly. Competition was fierce, and scruples very few as many contemporaries have attested. Things have changed very little as you see.
Since identification of roses depends in large part on the colour of the bloom, we have to work with what we have. I hope this will be helpful. If you come across any other colour words, I'd love to hear from you. I'll research them and add them to the list.
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| French |
English |
Definition |
| Abricot | Apricot |
a pinkish yellow colour, like the skin of the fruit of Prunus armeniaca, the apricot |
| Amarante | Amaranth |
a purplish red colour like the flowers of Amaranthus paniculatus, Prince's feather |
| Ardoise | Slate |
a dull bluish grey colour, like the stone used for roofing in Europe |
| Ardoisé-e | Slate-coloured | of a dull bluish grey colour |
| Argent | Silver | a lustrous, pale grey colour like that of silver |
| Argenté-e | Silvery | resembling silver in luster or colour |
| Aubergine | Eggplant |
deep violet colour of the fruit of Solanum melongena, the eggplant |
| Beige | Beige | the colour of natural wool, a very light brown |
| Beurre-frais | Butter-yellow | butter coloured, a very pale yellow |
| Blanc-he | White | the colour of new snow |
| Bleu-e | Blue | the colour of a clear sky |
| Bleuâtre | Bluish | somewhat blue |
| Bleuissant-e | Turning blue | becoming blue or bluish |
| Bonbon | Candy-pink | vivid pink |
| Bordeaux | Claret | ruby to deep purplish red, like red Bordeaux wine |
| Bouton-d'or | Buttercup |
golden yellow colour of the Ranunculus acris flower, the buttercup |
| Brillant-e | Brilliant-Shining | very bright |
| Brique | Brick-red |
a dull yellowish or brownish red, like common red clay bricks |
| Brun-e | Brown | a dark colour combining red, yellow and black |
| Brunâtre | Brownish | somewhat brown |
| Carmin | Carmine or Rouge | a deep or purplish red obtained from cochineal, cf. Crimson |
| Carminé-e | Carmine-coloured | a deep or purplish red colour |
| Carné-e | Flesh-pink | moderate pink or pale orange yellow |
| Cerise | Cherry-red | bright red like the fruit of Prunus cerasus, the cherry |
| Chamois | Buff | the colour or untreated leather, a light yellowish brown |
| Cinabre | Cinnabar | intense orange-red colour, mercuric sulfide, cf. Vermilion |
| Cire-d'Espagne | Sealing-wax red | a bright, rich red colour like sealing-wax |
| Clair | Light | pale, not very coloured, diluted with white |
| Corail | Coral-red | a pinkish or yellowish red |
| Cramoisi-e | Crimson |
deep red with a tinge of blue but redder than purple cf. Carmin |
| Criard-e | Loud | Excessively showy, flashy |
| Doré-e | Golden | a reddish yellow colour like gold |
| Écarlate | Flame | brilliant red inclining to orange |
| Éclatant-e | Brilliant, Dazzling | very brilliant |
| Érubescent-e | Turning red | becoming red as it opens or ages |
| Fané-e | Wilted or Faded | faded like old curtainor wilted flowers |
| Fauve | Fawn | light yellowish brown with a touch of red |
| Feu | Fire-red | bright red-yellow colour |
| Flamme | Flame-coloured | bright red-yellow, cf. Écarlate |
| Flammé-e | Flame-shaped | resembling a flame in shape |
| Fraise | Strawberry | the colour of the fruit of Fragaria spp., the strawberry |
| Franc-he | Pure, Natural | without the overtones of other colours |
| Fuchsia | Fuchsia | bright bluish red like the flower of Fuchsia sp. |
| Gai-e | Vivid | very bright, intense |
| Garance | Madder | bright red extract of Rubia tinctorium |
| Géranium | Geranium |
very deep pink almost red like the flowers of Pelargonium sp., the common geranium |
| Glauque | Glaucous | Glauque |
| Grenat | Garnet | a deep red colour |
| Gris de lin | Flax-grey | grey colour with a metallic shine like raw flax |
| Gris-e | Grey | a colour of mixed black and white |
| Grisâtre | Greyish | somewhat grey |
| Groseille | Gooseberry | vivid pink, near red, like the red gooseberry, Ribes spp. |
| Incarnadin-e | Incarnadine | pale flesh-coloured |
| Incarnat-e | Incarnate | flesh coloured or roseate |
| Indigo | Indigo |
Deep violet blue, dyestuff extrated from plants of the genus Indigofera |
| Jaune | Yellow | the colour of ripe lemons or sunflowers |
| Jaune d'oeuf | Egg Yolk | deep reddish yellow of the egg yolk |
| Jaune primevère | Primrose | a pale yellow colour like the wild primrose of England |
| Jonquille | Daffodil | bright yellow colour of the Narcissus jonquilla flower |
| Laque | Lake | deep red pigment made from cochineal with a metallic oxide |
| Lavande | Lavender | pale reddish violet like the flowers of Lavandula officinalis |
| Lie-de-vin | Wine-coloured | a violaceous red colour, cf Vineux |
| Lilas | Lilac |
Light pinkish purple colour of Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac |
| Magenta | Magenta | purplish rose or purplish red colour (fuchsin) |
| Marron | Maroon | dull, dark red colour like the nut of Castanus sativa |
| Mauve | Mallow-pink | pale purplish pink shade like the flower of Malva sp. |
| Merise | Wild-cherry | the colour of the wild cherry Prunus spp. |
| Mûre | Mulberry |
intense purplish red colour like the fruit of Morus rubra, the mulberry tree |
| Mûre | Murrey | a dark purplish red colour |
| Nankin | Nankeen | A buff or yellowish colour |
| Noir-e | Black | of a very dark colour, almost black |
| Or | Gold | the colour of gold, a reddish yellow |
| Orange |
Orange |
a reddish yellow colour like the fruit of Citrus sinensis, the orange tree |
| Orangé-e | Orange-coloured | of a reddish yellow colour |
| Paille | Straw | yellowish like the colour of straw |
| Pâle | Pale | not very vivid, mixed with white |
| Parme | Parma violet |
pale purplish violet shade like the flower of Viola odorata var. |
| Passé-e | Faded | pale, whitish or greyish |
| Pêche | Peach-pink | a yellowish pink colour like the fruit of Prunus persica |
| Ponceau | Poppy-red | bright scarlet colour of the wild poppy: Papaver rhoeas |
| Pourpre | Purple |
a colour of mingled red and blue, between crimson and violet is the official description; but the cardinals wear purple robes that look redder than crimson |
| Pourpre de Tyr | Tyrian purple | violet-purple colour of high saturation and low brightness |
| Pourpré-e | Purple-coloured | bluer than crimson but redder than violet |
| Prune | Plum |
deep violet purple colour of the fruit of Prunus domestica, the plum tree |
| Purpurin-e | Purplish | somewhat purple |
| Raisin | Grape |
dark purplish blue colour like the fruit of Vitis sp., the wine grape |
| Rosâtre | Pinkish | somewhat pink |
| Rose | Rose | a very pale red like the wild rose flowers: Rosa spp. |
| Rose | Pink |
English description: a pale hue of crimson like the flowers of Dianthus spp. |
| Rosé-e | Roseate | of a pinkish tint |
| Rouge | Red | a bright colour resembling that of fresh blood |
| Rouge vin | Wine | a dark purplish red |
| Rougeâtre | Reddish | mixed with or somewhat red |
| Rougeur | Blush | a red or rosy tint |
| Rubis | Ruby | rich red colour like the ruby, rich crimson |
| Sang | Blood-red | rich red colour of blood |
| Sang de boeuf | Oxblood | a deep red colour |
| Saumon |
Salmon |
a light pink with a slight tinge of orange, like wild Atlantic salmon |
| Saumoné-e | Salmon-coloured | light, slightly orangey, pink |
| Serin | Canary yellow | a clear vivid yellow |
| Soutenu-e |
Intense or saturated | pure and intense |
| Tan | Tan or tawn | pulverised oak bark used in tanning see tanné |
| Tango |
Tango orange |
a dark intense orange, was popular around 1914 when the tango became popular |
| Tanné | Tan or tawn | a light yellowish brown colour tinged with red |
| Tendre | Soft | subdued or delicate |
| Tomate | Tomato | the colour of the ripe fruit of Lycopersicon esculentum |
| Verdâtre | Greenish | somewhat green |
| Vermeil-le | Rosy or ruddy | a light vivid red, as of lips etc. |
| Vermillon | Vermilion | intense orange-red obtained from powdered Cinnabar q.v. |
| Vert-e |
Green |
the colour between yellow and blue, like the foliage of growing plants |
| Vieux (vieille) |
Softened, aged, old | subdued or delicate like old silk |
| Vif (vive) | Vivid | very intense |
| Vineux(vineuse) | Vinous | tinged with dark red |
| Violacé-e | Violaceous | tending toward violet in colour |
| Violet-te | Violet | a deep colour of mixed red and blue like wild Viola sp. |
| Voyant-e | Showy | very bright and intense |
| Zinzolin-e |
Zinzolin |
Reddish violet, a dye made from sesame seeds.
Apparently it is the same in English although it has fallen out of use. It
is still used in French however, Chanel has a lip crayon in this colour! |
I didn't attempt a pronounciation key, pronounce everything à l'anglaise, as long as you remember how it's spelled, you'll do fine. When you go to L'Haÿ-les-Roses, you'll be able to read the labels, and understand them, which is more than most French people could do.
If you want a particular rose, write the name down, and show it to someone. Not everyone is rude, and most rose lovers are kind and helpful. And who knows, you start talking, you get a French lesson for free. One thing leads to another, you marry a marquis, or marquise, you move into a little château in the Loire valley, and live the carefree life of a châtelain, or châtelaine, as the case may be. And after 25 yrs or so, the villagers will start talking about you as Madame, or Monsieur, instead of that crazy American.
*Re: Pourpre versus Purple.
I've been speculating about this curious discrepancy.
Could it be that at a time when both the French and the English languages were still evolving rapidly, the people most likely to be seen wearing striking purple (bright purple) robes, cardinals, disappeared entirely from England? while remaining visible in France. In Catholic countries, the deeper Tyrian purple would be less visible when compared to the brighter cardinal colour, and the brighter shade would become the standard; while in Protestant countries, the darker Tyrian colour would become the norm?
If anyone has anything relevant to this theory, please write.
Please address all comments and suggestions to Roch:
rochrollin@ca.inter.net
©2001 Roch Rollin
www.rosegathering.com
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