yellow (adj.)

古英语 geolu, geolwe, “黄色”, 来自于原日耳曼语 *gelwaz (也是古撒克逊语, 古高德语 gelo, 中荷兰语 ghele, 荷兰语 geel, 中高德语 gel, 德语 gelb, 古北欧语 gulr, 瑞典语 gul “黄色” 的来源), 来自于PIE根 *ghel- (2) “闪耀”, 衍生词表示“绿色” 和“黄色” (如希腊语 khlōros “青黄色”, 拉丁语 helvus “淡黄色, 海湾” ).

偶尔在中古英语中使用的颜色更接近蓝灰色或灰色, 青蛙或灰褐色的眼睛, 并翻译拉丁文 caeruleus, glauco. 在古英语中也用作名词. 意为“浅色皮肤” (黑人的) 最早记录于1808年. 自1787年起应用于亚洲人, 不过最早记录的是印度居民的土耳其语.

Yellow peril 译文为德语 die gelbe gefahr. “懦弱” 的意义是1856年, 来历不明; 这种颜色传统上与嫉妒和羡慕相当相关(17世纪). Yellow-bellied “懦弱” 出自1924年, 可能是 yellow 的半韵重译; 更早的 yellow-belly 是水手对半种姓的称呼(1867年), 也是德克萨斯对墨西哥士兵的称呼(1842年, 基于他们制服的颜色). Yellow dog “mongrel” 从约1770年开始被证实; 俚语意义上的“可鄙的人” 最早记录于1881年. Yellow fever 从1748年开始证明, 美国英语(黄疸是一种症状).

yellow (v.)

古英语 geoluwian “变黄”, 来源于 yellow (副词). 转义自1590年代. 相关: Yellowed; yellowing.

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*ghel- (2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine;" it forms words for "gold" (the "bright" metal), words denoting colors, especially "yellow" and "green," also "bile, gall," for its color, and a large group of Germanic gl- words having to do with shining and glittering and, perhaps, sliding. Buck says the interchange of words for yellow and green is "perhaps because they were applied to vegetation like grass, cereals, etc., which changed from green to yellow."

It forms all or part of: arsenic; Chloe; chloral; chloride; chlorinate; chlorine; chloro-; chloroform; chlorophyll; chloroplast; cholecyst; choler; cholera; choleric; cholesterol; cholinergic; Cloris; gall (n.1) "bile, liver secretion;" gild; glad; glance; glare; glass; glaze; glazier; gleam; glee; glib; glide; glimmer; glimpse; glint; glissade; glisten; glister; glitch; glitter; glitzy; gloaming; gloat; gloss (n.1) "glistening smoothness, luster;" glow; glower; gold; guilder; jaundice; melancholic; melancholy; yellow; zloty.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit harih "yellow, tawny yellow," hiranyam "gold;" Avestan zari "yellow;" Old Persian daraniya-, Avestan zaranya- "gold;" Greek khlōros "greenish-yellow color," kholos "bile, gall, wrath;" Latin helvus "yellowish, bay," Gallo-Latin gilvus "light bay;" Lithuanian geltonas "yellow;" Old Church Slavonic zlutu, Polish żółty, Russian zeltyj "yellow;" Latin galbus "greenish-yellow," fellis "bile, gall;" Lithuanian žalias "green," želvas "greenish," tulžis "bile;" Old Church Slavonic zelenu, Polish zielony, Russian zelenyj "green;" Old Irish glass, Welsh and Breton glas "green," also "gray, blue;" Old English galla "gall, bile," geolu, geolwe, German gelb, Old Norse gulr "yellow;" Old Church Slavonic zlato, Russian zoloto, Old English gold, Gothic gulþ "gold;" Old English glæs "glass; a glass vessel."

jaundice (n.)

"morbid condition characterized by yellowish skin and eyes (caused by bile pigments in the blood)," c. 1300, jaunis, from Old French jaunice, earlier jalnice, "yellowness" (12c.), from jaune/jalne "yellow," from Latin galbinus "greenish yellow" (also source of Italian giallo), extended form of galbus, which probably is from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives denoting "green" and "yellow." With unetymological -d- (compare sound (n.1)).

Figurative meaning "feeling in which views are colored or distorted" first recorded 1620s, from yellow's association with bitterness and envy (see yellow (adj.)). In Old English geolu adl "yellow sickness;" in Middle English also gulesought.

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