น้ำเงิน

[chinnotes]

I would be much interested in getting to know why (สี) น้ำเงิน means "blue". The literal meaning would be "silver water", but I don't see any connection with "blue color".

Can anybody give an explanation?

Thank you, Erwin

[DavidHouston]

I would be much interested in getting to know why (สี) น้ำเงิน means "blue". The literal meaning would be "silver water", but I don't see any connection with "blue color".

Can anybody give an explanation?

Thank you, Erwin

This explanation from the Matichon dictionary may not satisfy but here is what it says:

"น้ำเงิน - เลื่อมพรายของธาตุเงิน โดยปริยายใช้เรียกสีอย่างสีฟ้าเข้มว่า สีน้ำเงิน"

Lexitron: เลื่อมพราย [ADJ] shiny; lustrous; glossy; brilliant

ธาตุ [N] element; essence; component; constituent; factor

My translation: “ . . . the iridescence from elemental silver; by implication (the word) is used for the color dark blue. . .”

[aanon]

i really don't know, but if i was pressed to make up a plausible explanation on the spot, i'd hypothesise that there may be a particular solution of silver (or a solution used in the refining of silver) which is a deep blue in colour. the solution would be called น้ำเงิน and hence deep blue is the colour of น้ำเงิน, or สีน้ำเงิน.

anyone convinced?

all the best.

[chinnotes]

David and aanon,

thank you indeed for your answers..... but to tell the truth I am not too convinced. I cannot see that there is any "dark blue color" in the iridescence of elemental silver or in any solution of silver (or a solution used in refining silver)...

in สีน้ำตาล = 'brown color' the connection is evident...

Erwin

Edited February 8, 2008 by chinnotes

[aanon]

David and aanon,

thank you indeed for your answers..... but to tell the truth I am not too convinced. I cannot see that there is any "dark blue color" in the iridescence of elemental silver or in any solution of silver (or a solution used in refining silver)...

in สีน้ำตาล = 'brown color' the connection is evident...

Erwin

hehehe....i don't blame you. neither am i.

i just had a look in one of my dictionaries and found น้ำเงิน defined (amongst other things) as: กรดชนิดหนึ่ง silver: กรดน้ำเงิน nitrate of silver

here's some info about silver nitrate : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_nitrate

grasping for some link between silver and blue, http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Silver tells me that

1) at one point in refining silver the solution is blue and

2) "Nitrate of silver is eliminated from the system very slowly and the objection to its employment continuously as a drug is that it is deposited in the tissues causing argyria, chronic silver poisoning, of which the most prominent symptom is dark slate-blue colour of the lips, cheeks, gums and later of the skin."

then again, with the help of google, i could probably also link silver to any other colour just as easily!

all the best.

Edited February 8, 2008 by aanon