cyan

¹ American  

[sahy-an, sahy-uhn] / ˈsaɪ æn, ˈsaɪ ən /

noun

1. cyan blue.

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cyan- ² American  

1. variant of cyano-, usually before a vowel or h: cyanamide.

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cyan- ³ American  

1. variant of cyano-, before a vowel.

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cyan- ⁴ American  

1. variant of cyano-, before a vowel.

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cyan ¹ British  

/ ˈsaɪən, ˈsaɪæn /

noun

1. a highly saturated green-blue that is the complementary colour of red and forms, with magenta and yellow, a set of primary colours

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adjective

1. of this colour

   a cyan filter

cyan- ² British  

combining form

1. a variant of cyano-

   cyanamide

   cyanide

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Etymology

Origin of cyan

First recorded in 1885–90, cyan is from the Greek word kýanos dark blue

Example Sentences

For instance, Impossible Foods, one of the leading plant-based meat brands in the country, debuted new, red packaging — a departure from their current cyan labels — today at Natural Products Expo West.

From Salon • May 14, 2024

Overhead, the newsprint whips by in a blur, running through a succession of cylinders inked cyan, magenta, yellow and black, before converging into a central machine that folds and cuts it into individual papers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2024

The U-M team got around this issue by sandwiching cyan material between two mirrors.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

At first, it seemed to be another caprice of two already unusual animals: Flying squirrels and platypuses were found to be fluorescent, absorbing invisible ultraviolet light and re-emitting it in shocking pink or bright cyan.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2023

Cobalt Blue.—A pure blue tending toward cyan blue and of high luminosity; also called Hungary blue, Lethner’s blue, and Paris blue.

From A Color Notation A measured color system, based on the three qualities Hue, Value and Chroma by Munsell, A. H. (Albert Henry)