Cerulean
/səˈruːliən/noun
Of a deep sky-blue color.
Did you know?Cerulean ultimately comes from Latin caeruleus, a word for blue or dark blue, likely linked to caelum, meaning “sky” or “heaven,” so the color’s name carries a built-in celestial echo.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱel-
“to cover, conceal; likely behind words for the sky as the “cover” above”
Latin
Latin
caelum
“sky, heaven”
Latin
Latin
caeruleus
“dark blue, blue-green, azure”
Late Latin
Latin
caeruleanus
“blue, azure; of the color caeruleus”
16th Century
English
cerulean
“sky-blue; deep blue”