English → Latin
“yellow” in Latin
gilvusdun-colored, pale yellow (only used for horses)helvusdun, yellow dunflāvusyellow (originally in prose of ripe barley and wheat); blond, pale-(haired); whiteflāveōto be golden yellow or light yellowfulvusglowing; bright brown, orange or golden in color, sometimes greenbadiusreddish brown, chestnut colored, baylūriduspale yellow, wan, sallow, lurid; ghastly, horrifyinggalbaneusOf or characteristic of galbanum.cadāverōsuscorpse-likerāvusamber (color); amber, light brown, hazel
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
yellow
gilbus: gilvus: helvus (like honey; Vid: Voss., Verg., Georg., 3, 83): flavus: flavens (yellow as gold; composed of green, red, and white, like the ripe ears of corn, hair, etc.; Greek, ξανθός, for which we find, also, aureus): fulvus (with a red or brown tinge; darker than gold): tuteus (of an orange or brimstone color; paler than rufus: ☞ flavus, fulvus, and luteus signify yellow passing over into red; and hence in Gell., 2, 26, they are reckoned among the red colors): badius (of a pale yellow): luridus (of a dull yellow, of a yellowish green): galbanus (like young corn and the sprouts in spring; of a greenish yellow, χλωρός): cadaverosus (sallow, as a corpse): ravus (ofa grey or dark yellow); also, aureus (of a gold yellow): cereus, cerinus (yellow as wax): croceus (of a saffron color): sulphureus (of a brimstone color): silaceus (like ochre): citri colore (of a citron color; ☞ not citrinus, a false reading, Plin., 19, 5, 23). To be yellow, flavere: to become or grow yellow, flavescere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for yellow?
- The usual Latin words for “yellow” are gilvus, helvus, flāvus; also flāveō, fulvus, badius. 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.