Flavus
/ˈflaː.wus/noun
A Latin adjective meaning yellow, golden, or blond.
Did you know?Latin flavus is the source behind words tied to blondness and yellow-gold imagery, and its descendants helped shape the scientific name for the yellow pigment flavin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰleh₃-
“To shine or flash; a root associated with bright color and gleam.”
Classical Latin
Latin
flavus
“Yellow, golden, or blond.”
Late Latin
Latin
flavus
“Used in personal names and descriptive forms for golden or fair coloring.”
Old French / Medieval Latin
OF/ML
flave
“Blond or yellowish; preserved in learned and literary usage.”
Modern English
English
flavus
“Used mainly as a learned Latin term in taxonomy and scientific naming.”
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