Word of the Day
: November 28, 2006cerulean
play
adjective
suh-ROO-lee-un
What It Means
: resembling the blue of the sky
cerulean in Context
The painting depicted a series of tall, verdant trees surrounding a cerulean lake.
Did You Know?
"Cerulean" comes from the Latin word "caeruleus," which means "dark blue" and is most likely from "caelum," the Latin word for "sky." An artist rendering a sky of blue in oils or watercolors might choose a tube of cerulean blue pigment. Birdwatchers in the eastern U.S. might look skyward and see a cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea). "Cerulean" is not the only color name that's closely associated with the sky. "Azure" (which ultimately comes from a Persian word for lapis lazuli, a rich blue stone) describes the color of a cloudless sky and can even be a noun meaning "the unclouded sky."
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Merriam-Webster unabridged