Indigo is a deep blue-purple color. It is also the name of a dye originally made from certain plants that produce this rich color.
It comes from Latin “indicum,” meaning “substance from India,” because the dye was imported to Europe from India and nearby regions. That Latin word came from Greek “indikon,” with the same meaning.
Indigo is literally “the stuff from India” that turned into a color word. It was once so valuable as a dye that it helped drive global trade and even colonialism. When you see “indigo” in the rainbow list, you’re saying the name of an ancient trade product every time.
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