indigo

American  

[in-di-goh] / ˈɪn dɪˌgoʊ /

noun

plural

indigos, indigoes

1. a blue dye obtained from various plants, especially of the genus Indigofera, or manufactured synthetically.

2. indigo blue.

3. any of numerous hairy plants belonging to the genus Indigofera, of the legume family, having pinnate leaves and clusters of usually red or purple flowers.

4. a color ranging from a deep violet blue to a dark, grayish blue.

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adjective

1. Also called indigotic.  Also called indigo-blue,.  of the color indigo.

indigo British  

/ ˈɪndɪˌɡəʊ, ˌɪndɪˈɡɒtɪk /

noun

1. Also called: indigotin.  a blue vat dye originally obtained from plants but now made synthetically

2. any of various tropical plants of the leguminous genus Indigofera, such as the anil, that yield this dye Compare wild indigo

3. 1. any of a group of colours that have the same blue-violet hue; a spectral colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      an indigo carpet

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Other Word Forms

• indigotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of indigo

1545–55; < Spanish or Portuguese, variant of índico < Latin indicum < Greek indikón, noun use of neuter of Indikós Indic

Example Sentences

Although a menacing observer lurks in the darkness, the couple feels protected, submerged beneath the wall of clouds, which roll like white waves against a huge, indigo sky.

From The Wall Street Journal

Through the window of an upper floor office in West Hollywood, the sky changed from cyan to navy and then indigo blue.

From Los Angeles Times

But over the years, indigo fell out of favour because growing the crop damaged the soil excessively.

From BBC

Among the other types of birds were also soras, indigo buntings and wood thrushes.

From New York Times

“Yeah. Those are the indigo fields. Do you know the story of how our ancestors infused the Gift into blue-glass bottles using indigo plants?”

From Literature

Related Words

• blue-green