Where does “cyan” come from?

Cyan comes from Ancient Greek κύανος, derived from Proto-Indo-European ḱʷei-, itself a variant of Proto-Indo-European ḱwey-.

cyan (English): A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue...

Definitions

  1. A vibrant pale greenish-blue colour between blue...

Ancestry of “cyan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekκύανοςblue
2Hittitekuwannan-precious stone, copper, blue
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwey-to hiss, to whistle, to whisper; to shine, white,...

Words derived from “cyan

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱwey-
cyan — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer