indigo

adj

Etymology: 16th century (as indico, modern spelling from the 17th century), Spanish índigo, Portuguese endego (modern índigo), or Dutch (via Portuguese) indigo, all from Latin indicum (“indigo”), from Ancient Greek ἰνδικόν (indikón, “Indian dye”), from Ἰνδία (Indía). Doublet of Indic.

1. having a deep purplish-blue colour

name

1. A local government area in north-east Victoria, Australia, named after Indigo Valley; in full, the Shire of Indigo.
2. A female given name.

   “Details of Thunberg’s charge came as Just Stop Oil said its cofounders, Indigo Rumbelow and Roger Hallam, were arrested on Wednesday morning following dawn raids at their homes.”

noun

Etymology: 16th century (as indico, modern spelling from the 17th century), Spanish índigo, Portuguese endego (modern índigo), or Dutch (via Portuguese) indigo, all from Latin indicum (“indigo”), from Ancient Greek ἰνδικόν (indikón, “Indian dye”), from Ἰνδία (Indía). Doublet of Indic.

1. A purplish-blue color.
2. A greenish dark blue color; the color of indigo dye.

   “The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow, though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity.”

3. A blue-colored dye obtained from certain plants (indigo plant or woad), or a similar synthetic dye.
4. An indigo plant, such as from species in genera Indigofera, Amorpha (false indigo), Baptisia (wild indigo), and Psorothamnus and Dalea (indigo bush).

   “A Southern planter has been sowing indigo and cotton together. Perhaps he contemplates raising blue cotton; and should he wa­ter the plants with nitric acid, he would probably raise gun cotton—if any.”