A phenomenon of light and visual perception that may be described in terms of an individual’s perception of hue, saturation, and lightness for objects, and brightness for light sources.

The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths, esp. that band of colors produced when sunlight is refracted and dispersed by a prism, comprising red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Designating a color having high lightness and low saturation.

Designating a color having high lightness and strong saturation.

Designating a color having low lightness and low saturation, reflecting only a small fraction of incident light.

Designating a color having low lightness and strong saturation.

The perceived color of an object, determined by the wavelengths of the light reflected from its surface after selective absorption of other wavelengths of the incident light.

The absorption of certain wavelengths of the light incident on a colored surface, the remaining portion being reflected or transmitted.

A color produced by mixing cyan, yellow, and magenra pigments, each of which absorbs certain wavelengths. A balance mixture of these colorant or subtractive primaries theoretically yields black since it absorbs all wavelengths of visible light.

A color produced by combininv lights of red, green, and blue wavelengths. These light or additive primaries contain all the wavelengths necessary to produce a colorless or whitelight.

One of the three dimensions of color: the property of light by which the color of an object is classified as being red, yellow, green, or blue, or an intermediate between any contiguous pair of these colors.

One of the three dimensions of color: the purity or vividness of a hue. Also called intensity.

The degree by which a color differs from a gray of the same lightness or brightness, corresponding to saturation of the perceived color.

The dimension of color by which an object appears to reflect more or less of the incident light, varying from black to white for surface colors and from black to colorless for transparent volume colors.

The degree by which a color appears to reflect more or less of the incident light, corresponding to lightness of the perceived color.

The dimension of a color that is correlated with luminance and by which visual stimuli are ordered continuously from very dim to very bright. Pure white has the maximum brightness, and pure black the minimum brightness.

A scale of achromatic colors having several, usually ten, equal gradations ranging from white to black.

The merging of juxtaposed dots or strokes of pure colors when seen from a distance to produce a hue often more luminous than that available from a premixed pigment.

Designating a color inclined toward or dominated by red, orange, or yellow.

Designating a color inclined toward or dominated by green, blue, or violet.

A warm color that appears to move toward an observer, giving an illusion of space.

A cool color that appears to move away from an observer, giving an illusion of space.

An arrangement or pattern of colors conceived of as forming an integrated whole.

A relatively light value of a color, produced by adding white to it.

A triangular diagram developed by Faber Birren to describe the relationship between a pure hue, white, and black, which combine to yield secondary tints, tones, shades, and grays.

A relatively dark value of a color, produced by adding black to it.

An intermediate value of a color between a tint and a shade.

An achromatic color between white and black.

Having no saturation and therefore no hue such as white, black, or gray.

A circulr scale of the colors of the spectrum, showing complementary colors opposite each other. Also caled color circle.

Any of a set colors such as red, yellow, and blue, regarded as generating all other colors.

A color, such as orange, green, or violet, produced by mixing two primary colors.

A color, such as brown, produced by mixing two secondary colors, or a secondary color with one of its constituent primaries.

One of a pair of opposing colors on a color wheel perceive as completing or enhancing each other.

One of two or three closely related colors on a color wheel.

A combination of three colors forming an equilateral triangle on a color wheel.

A combination of one color and the pair of colors adjoining its complementary color on a color wheel.

A combination of two analogous colors and their complementary colors on a color wheel.

Havinv only one color or exhibiting varying intensities and values of a single hue.

Having or exhibiting a variety of colors.