Orange again

[tracymort]

Below quizmonster says 'Its use as a colour-name dates only to the 16th.' so what was the colour orange called before then? (i know should be on phrases really!)

[geeneeous]

i believe it was called something ludicrous like 'Purple'. Although this word may sound strange and unknown to our modern ears, in those days it was well accepted because indo-european languages were in their infancy. Its similar to the common myth that the colour red was referred to as 'Apple'. It is clearly not possible as, if you recall, apples can be Green [http://science.howstuffworks.com/light6.htm] too.