Crimson
Encyclopedia
Crimson is a strong, bright, deep red
color. It is originally the color
of the dye produced from a scale insect
, Kermes vermilio
, but the name is now also used as a generic term for those slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose
; besides crimson itself, these colors include carmine
, raspberry
, ruddy
, ruby
, amaranth
, and cerise
.
, and sold throughout Europe. Kermes dyes have been found in burial wrappings in Anglo-Scandinavian York
. They fell out of use with the introduction of cochineal
, because although the dyes were comparable in quality and color intensity it needed ten to twelve times as much kermes to produce the same effect as cochineal.
Carmine
is the name given to the dye made from the dried bodies of the female cochineal
, although the name crimson is sometimes applied to these dyes too. Cochineal appears to have been discovered during the conquest of Mexico
by the Spaniard Hernán Cortés
, and the name 'carmine' is derived from the Spanish word for crimson. It was first described by Mathioli in 1549. The pigment is also called cochineal after the insect from which it is made.
Alizarin
(PR83) is a pigment that was first synthesized in 1868 by the German chemist
s Carl Gräbe
and Carl Liebermann and replaced the natural pigment madder lake. Alizarin crimson is a dye bonded onto alum
which is then used as a pigment and mixed with ochre
, sienna
and umber
. It is not totally colorfast.
, a crimson cloth). These were adapted via Old Spanish from the Medieval Latin
cremesinus (also kermesinus or carmesinus), the dye produced from Kermes scale insects, and can be traced back to Arabic qermez ("red"), also borrowed in Turkish
kırmızı and many other languages, e.g. German Karmesin, Italian Cremisi, French cramoisi, etc. (via Latin). The ultimate source may be Sanskrit कृमिज kṛmi-jā meaning "worm-made".
A shortened form of carmesinus also gave the Latin carminus, from which comes carmine
.
Other cognates include the Old Church Slavic čruminu and the Russian
čermnyj "red". Cf. also vermilion
.
Carmine dyes
, which give crimson and related red and purple colors, are based on an aluminium
and calcium
salt
of carminic acid
. Carmine lake is an aluminium
or aluminium-tin lake
of cochineal extract, and Crimson lake is prepared by striking down an infusion of cochineal with a 5 percent solution
of alum
and cream of tartar
. Purple lake is prepared like carmine lake with the addition of lime
to produce the deep purple tone. Carmine dyes tend to fade quickly.
Carmine dyes were once widely prized in both the Americas and in Europe. They were used in paints by Michelangelo
and for the crimson fabrics of the Hussars, the Turks
, the British Redcoats
, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
.
Nowadays carmine dyes are used for coloring foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics. As a food additive
, carmine dyes are designated E120
, and are also called cochineal and Natural Red 4. Carmine dyes are also used in some oil paint
s and watercolors used by artists.
.
Electric crimson is that tone of crimson which is precisely halfway between red and rose on the color wheel. In the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the color Crimson is shown as lying halfway between red and rose.
Folly is a color one-fourth of the way between crimson and rose, closer to crimson than to rose. The first recorded use of folly as a color name in English was in 1920.
This color is a rich tone of crimson-rose.
Razzmatazz was a new Crayola
crayon color chosen in 1993 as a part of the Name The New Colors Contest.
, is an official color for the University of Alabama
and its athletic teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The specification provided by the office of university relations refers to the Pantone Matching System
, color PMS 201.
, is an official color for the University of Kansas
and its athletic teams, the Kansas Jayhawks
. The color is referenced in the school's alma mater. While not an original color of the school, Crimson was suggested to honor a Harvard graduate who donated money for an athletic field at the school.
. Of all the universities that list crimson as an official color, the University of Utah is closest to the web color crimson (RGB 220, 20, 60).
The school's athletic booster organization is called the Crimson Club.
ic of Harvard University
.
The first recorded use of Harvard crimson as a color name in English was in 1928.
At right is displayed the color red devil.
The color name red devil for this dark tone of crimson has been in use since 2001, when it was promulgated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
color. It is originally the color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
of the dye produced from a scale insect
Scale insect
The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects.-Ecology:...
, Kermes vermilio
Kermes vermilio
Kermes vermilio is one of the species of Kermes used to make the dye also called kermes.....
, but the name is now also used as a generic term for those slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose
Rose (color)
Rose is the color halfway between red and magenta on the HSV color wheel, also known as the RGB color wheel, on which it is at hue angle of 330 degrees.Rose is one of the tertiary colors on the HSV color wheel...
; besides crimson itself, these colors include carmine
Carmine (color)
Carmine is the general term for a particularly deep red color. Some Rubies are colored the color shown below as rich carmine. The deep red color shown below as carmine is the color of the raw unprocessed pigment, but lighter, richer, or brighter colors are produced when the raw pigment is...
, raspberry
Raspberry (color)
Raspberry is a color that resembles the color of raspberries.The first recorded use of raspberry as a color name in English was in 1892.-Raspberry rose:At right is displayed the color raspberry rose....
, ruddy
Ruddy
Ruddy is a reddish-rosy crimson colour, closer to red than to rose.A brownish shade of ruddy called ruddy brown is often referred to simply as ruddy when referring to animals....
, ruby
Ruby (color)
Ruby is a color that is a representation of the color of the cut and polished ruby gemstone. The somewhat deeper color of the uncut, unpolished ruby crystal is called rubelite.The first recorded use of ruby as a color name in English was in 1572...
, amaranth
Amaranth (color)
Amaranth is a reddish-rose color that is a representation of the color of the flower of the amaranth plant. The color shown is the color of the red amaranth flower , but there are other varieties of amaranth that have other colors of amaranth flowers; these colors are also shown below.The color...
, and cerise
Cerise (color)
-Etymology:According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of cerise as a color name in English was in The Times of November 30, 1858. However, it was used at least as early as 1845 in a book of crochet patterns....
.
History
Crimson (NR4) is produced using the dried bodies of the kermes insect, which were gathered commercially in Mediterranean countries, where they live on the Kermes oakKermes Oak
Quercus coccifera, the Kermes Oak, is an oak in the Turkey oak section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is native to the western Mediterranean region and Northern African Maghreb, from Morocco and Portugal east to Libya and Greece.-Description:...
, and sold throughout Europe. Kermes dyes have been found in burial wrappings in Anglo-Scandinavian York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. They fell out of use with the introduction of cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, because although the dyes were comparable in quality and color intensity it needed ten to twelve times as much kermes to produce the same effect as cochineal.
Carmine
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
is the name given to the dye made from the dried bodies of the female cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, although the name crimson is sometimes applied to these dyes too. Cochineal appears to have been discovered during the conquest of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
by the Spaniard Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, and the name 'carmine' is derived from the Spanish word for crimson. It was first described by Mathioli in 1549. The pigment is also called cochineal after the insect from which it is made.
Alizarin
Alizarin
Alizarin or 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a prominent dye, originally derived from the roots of plants of the madder genus.Alizarin was used as a red dye for the English parliamentary "new model" army...
(PR83) is a pigment that was first synthesized in 1868 by the German chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
s Carl Gräbe
Carl Gräbe
Carl Gräbe was a German chemist from Frankfurt am Main.Gräbe studied at a vocational high school in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe Polytechnic and in Heidelberg. Later he worked for the chemical company Meister Lucius und Brüning . He supervised the production of Fuchsine and researched violet colorants...
and Carl Liebermann and replaced the natural pigment madder lake. Alizarin crimson is a dye bonded onto alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
which is then used as a pigment and mixed with ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, sienna
Sienna
Sienna is a form of limonite clay most famous in the production of oil paint pigments. Its yellow-brown colour comes from ferric oxides contained within...
and umber
Umber
Umber is a natural brown clay pigment which contains iron and manganese oxides. The color becomes more intense when calcined , and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra and was originally extracted in Umbria, a mountainous region of central Italy,...
. It is not totally colorfast.
Etymology
The word crimson has been recorded in English since 1400, and its earlier forms include cremesin, crymysyn and cramoysin (cf. cramoisyCramoisy
Cramoisy is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....
, a crimson cloth). These were adapted via Old Spanish from the Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
cremesinus (also kermesinus or carmesinus), the dye produced from Kermes scale insects, and can be traced back to Arabic qermez ("red"), also borrowed in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
kırmızı and many other languages, e.g. German Karmesin, Italian Cremisi, French cramoisi, etc. (via Latin). The ultimate source may be Sanskrit कृमिज kṛmi-jā meaning "worm-made".
A shortened form of carmesinus also gave the Latin carminus, from which comes carmine
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
.
Other cognates include the Old Church Slavic čruminu and the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
čermnyj "red". Cf. also vermilion
Vermilion
Vermilion is an opaque orangish red pigment, similar to scarlet. As a naturally occurring mineral pigment, it is known as cinnabar, and was in use around the world before the Common Era began. Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, and vermilion is nowadays commonly...
.
Dyes
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
, which give crimson and related red and purple colors, are based on an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
of carminic acid
Carminic acid
Carminic acid is a red glucosidal hydroxyanthrapurin that occurs naturally in some scale insects, such as the cochineal and the Polish cochineal. The insects produce the acid as a deterrent to predators. Carminic acid is the colouring agent in carmine. Synonyms are C.I. 75470 and C.I...
. Carmine lake is an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
or aluminium-tin lake
Lake pigment
A lake pigment is a pigment manufactured by precipitating a dye with an inert binder, usually a metallic salt. The word lake is a homonym of lake as body of water and does not refer to it....
of cochineal extract, and Crimson lake is prepared by striking down an infusion of cochineal with a 5 percent solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
of alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
and cream of tartar
Potassium tartrate
Potassium tartrate, dipotassium tartrate or argol has formula K2C4H4O6. It is the potassium salt of tartaric acid. It is often confused with potassium bitartrate, also known as cream of tartar...
. Purple lake is prepared like carmine lake with the addition of lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
to produce the deep purple tone. Carmine dyes tend to fade quickly.
Carmine dyes were once widely prized in both the Americas and in Europe. They were used in paints by Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
and for the crimson fabrics of the Hussars, the Turks
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
, the British Redcoats
Red coat (British army)
Red coat or Redcoat is a historical term used to refer to soldiers of the British Army because of the red uniforms formerly worn by the majority of regiments. From the late 17th century to the early 20th century, the uniform of most British soldiers, , included a madder red coat or coatee...
, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
.
Nowadays carmine dyes are used for coloring foodstuffs, medicines and cosmetics. As a food additive
Food additive
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...
, carmine dyes are designated E120
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
, and are also called cochineal and Natural Red 4. Carmine dyes are also used in some oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
s and watercolors used by artists.
Alizarin crimson
Alizarin crimson is an artificially created color, used to replace the harder to obtain rose madderRose madder
Rose Madder is the commercial name sometimes used to designate a paint made from the pigment Madder Lake - a traditional lake pigment, extracted from the common madder plant ....
.
Electric crimson
Displayed at right is the color electric crimson.Electric crimson is that tone of crimson which is precisely halfway between red and rose on the color wheel. In the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the color Crimson is shown as lying halfway between red and rose.
Folly
Displayed at right is the color folly.Folly is a color one-fourth of the way between crimson and rose, closer to crimson than to rose. The first recorded use of folly as a color name in English was in 1920.
Razzmatazz
Displayed at right is the color razzmatazz.This color is a rich tone of crimson-rose.
Razzmatazz was a new Crayola
Crayola
Crayola is a brand of artists' supplies manufactured by Crayola LLC, which was founded in 1885 as Binney & Smith. It is best known for its crayons...
crayon color chosen in 1993 as a part of the Name The New Colors Contest.
Alabama Crimson
Alabama Crimson, along with WhiteWhite
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, is an official color for the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
and its athletic teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The specification provided by the office of university relations refers to the Pantone Matching System
Pantone
Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space...
, color PMS 201.
KU Crimson
KU Crimson, along with BlueBlue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
, is an official color for the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
and its athletic teams, the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
. The color is referenced in the school's alma mater. While not an original color of the school, Crimson was suggested to honor a Harvard graduate who donated money for an athletic field at the school.
Utah crimson
Displayed at right is the color Utah crimson, the color which is symbolic of the University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. Of all the universities that list crimson as an official color, the University of Utah is closest to the web color crimson (RGB 220, 20, 60).
The school's athletic booster organization is called the Crimson Club.
Harvard crimson
Displayed at right is the color Harvard crimson, the color which is symbolSymbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
The first recorded use of Harvard crimson as a color name in English was in 1928.
Crimson glory
The color name red devil for this dark tone of crimson has been in use since 2001, when it was promulgated as one of the colors on the Xona.com Color List.
Crimson in nature
Birds- The Crimson SunbirdCrimson SunbirdThe Crimson Sunbird, Aethopyga siparaja, is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings...
is the national bird of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. - The coxscombComb (anatomy)Anatomically, a comb is a fleshy growth, caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens...
of a roosterRoosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
is colored a deep crimson color.
In popular culture
- Crimson is a name given to Rosso in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VIIDirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VIIis an action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of the popular 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII...
for her red outfit and bloodthirsty nature. - Crimson SkiesCrimson SkiesCrimson Skies is a media franchise and fictional universe created by Jordan Weisman and Dave McCoy. The series' intellectual property is currently owned by Microsoft Game Studios , although Weisman's new company, Smith & Tinker Inc., has announced that it has licensed the electronic entertainment...
is a video game about air pirates in an alternate universe 1930s North America. - Fatal Frame II: Crimson ButterflyFatal Frame II: Crimson ButterflyFatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, known in Japan as and in Europe as Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly, is a survival horror video game developed by Tecmo. It is the second installment in the Fatal Frame series and is considered by some gaming magazines as one of the scariest video games ever...
, or Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly, 2004 game considered one of the scariest video games of all time. - The King's Royal Hussars still wear crimson trousers as successors to the 11th Hussars (the "Cherrypickers").
- In Polish, karmazyn ('crimson') is also a synonym for a MagnateMagnateMagnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
, i.e., a member of the nobilityNobilityNobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. - The Greek letter organizationsFraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
(ΔΣΘ), Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
(KAΨ), and Kappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
(KA) use crimson as one of their official colors. - Crimson is the school color of several universities, including Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Indiana University, New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
, Saint Joseph's UniversitySaint Joseph's UniversitySaint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...
, University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, University of BelgranoUniversity of BelgranoThe University of Belgrano is a private university established in 1964 and located in the Belgrano district of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.It has 9 Departments:*Architecture and Urban Planning*Law and Political Science*Economics*Humanities...
, University of MississippiUniversity of MississippiThe University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, Washington State UniversityWashington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
, Korea UniversityKorea UniversityKorea University is a prestigious nonsectarian, private research university located primarily in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the SKY universities, a historical acronym used in South Korea to refer to Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Founded by Lee Yong-ik in...
and Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
. The daily newspaper at Harvard is called The Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, and the daily newspaper at Alabama is called The Crimson WhiteThe Crimson WhiteThe Crimson White, known colloquially as "The CW," is the student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. It is published four times a week -- every weekday except Friday -- throughout the fall and spring semesters and weekly during the summer semester...
. Harvard's athletic teams are the Crimson, while the University of Alabama competes as The Crimson TideUniversity of Alabama athleticsThe University of Alabama features 19 varsity sports teams. Both the male and female athletic teams are called the Crimson Tide. They participate in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Southeastern Conference Western Division. In 2002, Sports Illustrated named Alabama the #26 best collegiate...
. - In the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, crimson is the color of the Ordnance Corps. - Crimson GuardCrimson GuardThe Crimson Guard is an elite organization within the fictional G.I. Joe universe. They are members of Cobra Command, the nemesis of the G.I. Joe team. They are often referred to by a phonetic spelling of their organization's initials, "Siegies". Tomax and Xamot are the commanders of the Crimson...
is a line of toys from the G.I. JoeG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
universe, first released in 1985.
See also
- Amaranth (color)Amaranth (color)Amaranth is a reddish-rose color that is a representation of the color of the flower of the amaranth plant. The color shown is the color of the red amaranth flower , but there are other varieties of amaranth that have other colors of amaranth flowers; these colors are also shown below.The color...
- Red dye insects: CochinealCochinealThe cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, Kermes vermilioKermes vermilioKermes vermilio is one of the species of Kermes used to make the dye also called kermes.....
, Polish cochinealPolish cochinealPolish cochineal , also known as Polish carmine scales, is a scale insect formerly used to produce a crimson dye of the same name, colloquially known as "Saint John's blood". The larvae of P... - List of colors
- ScarletScarlet (color)Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is redder than vermilion. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel one-fourth of the way between red and orange. Scarlet is sometimes used as the color of flame...