What is the Latin word for gray, grey?

The usual Latin words for “gray, grey” are cānus, rāvus, cinerāceus; also ferrūgineus, caesius, glaucus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“gray, grey” in Latin

cānuswhite; hoary; frothy rāvusamber (color); amber, light brown, hazel cinerāceussimilar to ashes, ashen, ash colored ferrūgineusOf a dark color unrelated to iron rust, dark blue, dark violet.; Of the colour of iron rust.; Of the taste of iron.caesiusblue, gray, occasionally green; blue-eyed; customary translation of γλαυκῶπις (glaukôpis); as well as denoting the assoc glaucusa bluish-grey colored fish of uncertain identity, perhaps the derbio subobscūrussomewhat obscure sublūstrisgleaming, glimmering incānusquite grey; hoary cānitiēshoar; hoariness ; a grayish-white color; grey hair; old age

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

gray, grey

canus (approaching to white, like the hair of old people, etc.): ravus (a dark, yellowish, or greenish color; as that of the sea, the eyes of a wolf, etc.): cineraceus (of the color of ashes): ferrugineus (of the color of iron): caesius (of a bluish gray, especially of the eyes): glaucus (of the color of the eyes of cats or of the sea): quite gray, incanus: gray before the time, praecanus: gray = gray color, color canus; canities: gray hair, capilli cani; also cani only (poetical, canities): one who has gray hair, canus: to be gray, canere (also = to have gray hair): to become or turn gray, canescere (also = to get gray hair): to grow gray (= old) in anything, consenescere; in or sub aliqua re (e.g., in the camps, in ferro or sub armis); also, senem fieri in aliqua re (e.g., in acie et in castris: ☞ insenescere iisdem negotiis, as Tac., Ann., 4, 6, 4, is poetical): rather gray or grayish, albidus; albens: a gray horse, equus coloris cani (Pallad: 4, 13, 4): that has a gray beard, or with a gray beard, barba cana.

Dark, like the opening or close of the day, subobscurus (rather dark); sublustris (rather light); sublucanus (toward daylight). Vid :, also, DARK, DUSK.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for gray, grey?: The usual Latin words for “gray, grey” are cānus, rāvus, cinerāceus; also ferrūgineus, caesius, glaucus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.