How did the Orange get its name?

Before the late 15th century, the colour orange existed in Europe, but without the name; it was simply called yellow-red. Portuguese merchants brought the first orange trees to Europe from Asia in the late 15th and early 16th century, along with the Sanskrit naranga, which gradually became "orange" in English. read more

The word's use as a color name doesn't crop up for another 200 years, in the early 1500s. English speakers probably didn't have a specific name for the color until the fruit was widely available in their markets and inspired one. read more

House of Orange, princely dynasty that derived its name from the medieval principality of Orange, in old Provence in southern France. The dynasty was important in the history of the Netherlands and is that nation’s royal family. read more

In China and India, the colour took its name not from the orange fruit, but from saffron, the finest and most expensive dye in Asia. According to Confucianism, existence was governed by the interaction of the male active principle, the yang, and the female passive principle, the yin. read more