Etymologically
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magenta

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 11 October 2026 at 21:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /məˈd͡ʒɛntə/[1]

Etymology

It is named after the Battle of Magenta (1859), near the town of that name in northern Italy,[2][3][4][5][6] where the French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians,[7][4][6] because the dye was discovered in that year.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A brilliant crimson aniline dye and the colour it produces (1860).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the victory advanced Italian independence and fired the imagination of European liberals, and that other dyes of the period were also named after battles, such as solferino.[4] The word was used attributively from 1875 and in compound colour names from 1882.[7]

Timeline

  • 1859 – the Battle of Magenta.[7][3][4]
  • 1860 – the dye and its colour.[7][3][4][5]
  • 1875 – attributive and adjective use.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A vivid purplish-red colour.
  2. The dye fuchsin.

Adjective

  1. Of a purplish-red colour.
  • fuchsia
  • solferino

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press