# Black is a color

By [imsolo.eth](https://paragraph.com/@imsolo) · 2023-04-14

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**Black** is a [color](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color) which results from the absence or complete [absorption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_\(electromagnetic_radiation\)) of [visible](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_spectrum) [light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light). It is an achromatic color, without [hue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue), like [white](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White) and [grey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey).[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-2) It is often used [symbolically](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol) or [figuratively](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figurative_language) to represent darkness.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHeller2009105%E2%80%9326-3) Black and white have often been used to describe opposites such as [good](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good) and [evil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil), the [Dark Ages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages_\(historiography\)) versus [Age of Enlightenment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment), and [night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night) versus [day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day). Since the [Middle Ages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages), black has been the symbolic color of solemnity and authority, and for this reason it is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHeller2009105%E2%80%9326-3)

Black was one of the first colors used by artists in [Neolithic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic) cave paintings.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-StClair-4) It was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as the color of the [underworld](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld).[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-5) In the [Roman Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire), it became the color of mourning, and over the centuries it was frequently associated with [death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death), evil, [witches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft), and [magic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_\(supernatural\)).[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-FOOTNOTESt._Clair2016261-6) In the 14th century, it was worn by royalty, clergy, judges, and government officials in much of Europe. It became the color worn by English romantic poets, businessmen and statesmen in the 19th century, and a high fashion color in the 20th century.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-FOOTNOTEHeller2009105%E2%80%9326-3) According to surveys in Europe and North America, it is the color most commonly associated with mourning, the end, secrets, magic, force, violence, fear, evil, and elegance.[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-7)

Black is the most common [ink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ink) color used for printing books, newspapers and documents, as it provides the highest contrast with white paper and thus is the easiest color to read. Similarly, black text on a white screen is the most common format used on computer screens.[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-Heller,_Eva_2009_p._126-8) As of September 2019, the darkest material is made by [MIT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT) engineers from vertically aligned [carbon nanotubes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_nanotubes).[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-MIT_2019-9) Etymology

The word _black_ comes from [Old English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English_language) _blæc_ ("black, dark", _also_, "ink"), from [Proto-Germanic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Germanic) \*_blakkaz_ ("burned"), from [Proto-Indo-European](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language) \*_bhleg-_ ("to burn, gleam, shine, flash"), from base \*_bhel-_ ("to shine"), related to [Old Saxon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saxon_language) _blak_ ("ink"), [Old High German](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_High_German) _blach_ ("black"), [Old Norse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norse_language) _blakkr_ ("dark"), [Dutch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language) _blaken_ ("to burn"), and [Swedish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_language) _bläck_ ("ink"). More distant cognates include [Latin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin) _flagrare_ ("to blaze, glow, burn"), and [Ancient Greek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek) _phlegein_ ("to burn, scorch"). The Ancient Greeks sometimes used the same word to name different colors, if they had the same intensity. _Kuanos'_ could mean both dark blue and black.[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-Michel_Pastoureau_pg._34-10) The Ancient Romans had two words for black: _ater_ was a flat, dull black, while _niger_ was a brilliant, saturated black. _Ater_ has vanished from the vocabulary, but _niger_ was the source of the country name _Nigeria,_[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-11) the English word _Negro_, and the word for "black" in most modern [Romance languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages) ([French](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language): _noir_; [Spanish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language) and [Portuguese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language): _negro_; [Italian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language): _nero_; [Romanian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_language): _negru_).

[Old High German](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_High_German) also had two words for black: _swartz_ for dull black and _blach_ for a luminous black. These are parallelled in [Middle English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_English) by the terms _swart_ for dull black and _blaek_ for luminous black. _Swart_ still survives as the word _swarthy_, while _blaek_ became the modern English _black_.[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-Michel_Pastoureau_pg._34-10) The former is [cognate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognate) with the words used for black in most modern [Germanic languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages) aside from English ([German](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language): _schwarz_, [Dutch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_language): _zwart_, [Swedish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_language): _svart_, [Danish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_language): _sort_, [Icelandic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_language): _svartr_).[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-12) In heraldry, the word used for the black color is [sable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable_\(heraldry\)),[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black#cite_note-13) named for the black fur of the [sable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable), an animal.

[https://opensea.io/assets/0x72e19Be66354a8FB302Ca736F90c3bf9169B5c9c/1](https://opensea.io/assets/0x72e19Be66354a8FB302Ca736F90c3bf9169B5c9c/1)

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*Originally published on [imsolo.eth](https://paragraph.com/@imsolo/black-is-a-color)*