15 Very Specific Colors You Didn't Know Had Names

Go beyond the crayon box with these little-known colors. Hey, you might even find a new shade for your living room walls.

1. Filemot

It sounds like an indie band or hip Brooklyn bar. Alas, filemot's just the color of a dead leaf.

2. Aureolin

You've heard of cobalt blue. Meet cobalt yellow, more formally known as aureolin.

3. Jessamy

Jessamy is the pale white-yellow color of jasmine flowers. Most people just call it “jasmine.”

4. Phlox

It's a flower, but also that psychedelic purple seen on tie-dye shirts.

5. Pavo

That shade of blue found in a peacock's tail feathers? It's pavo, pronounced, "PAY-voh."

6. Rufous

A rufous bird has red feathers, hence this color name.

7. Malachite

Whether we're talking minerals or hues, it's easy to confuse malachite with emerald. The big difference: Malachite has a grey undertone.

8. Vinaceous

Vinaceous may mean wine-colored, but not all wine is vinaceous. The term only refers to reds.

9. Smalt

If you love that medium blue found in Chinese porcelain, you're smitten with smalt.

10. Harlequin

Of course the color's a little loud. It's named after a commedia dell'arte stock character.

11. Melichrous

It doesn't sound too sweet, but melichrous describes things that are the color of honey.

12. Eau de Nil

High school French to the rescue! Translating to "Water of the Nile," eau de nil is a pale yellowish-green commonly associated with 1930s fashion and decor.

13. Ciel

Ciel is a soothing light blue just one 'o' short of the Spanish word for "sky." It's also a popular color for medical scrubs.

14. Solferino

It's a village in northern Italy and also a purplish red.

15. Feldgrau

Feldgrau, which translates to "field gray," is the gray-green seen in Army jackets and camouflage.