indigo

[ in-di-goh ]

/ ˈɪn dɪˌgoʊ /

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See synonyms for indigo on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural in·di·gos, in·di·goes.

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

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.

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

adjective

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

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Origin of indigo

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

Words nearby indigo

indign, indignant, indignantly, indignation, indignity, indigo, indigo blue, indigo bunting, indigoid, indigolite, indigo snake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use indigo in a sentence

The canvas comes in multiple colors—like indigo, stone, and hand-dyed turmeric—so you can match this sauna kit with your current wall color or room’s aesthetic.
Best portable saunas of 2022|Hannah Singleton|June 7, 2022|Popular-Science
Textile makers must treat indigo with harsh chemicals to make it soluble.
Scientists find a ‘greener’ way to make jeans blue|Shi En Kim|November 3, 2021|Science News For Students
Denin absorbed more indigo in one pass with the new dye than it would have picked up after being dipped in the traditional vat of dye eight times.
Scientists find a ‘greener’ way to make jeans blue|Shi En Kim|November 3, 2021|Science News For Students
To give denim its blue hue, the researchers add indigo powder to a hydrogel containing a small amount of nanocellulose.
Scientists find a ‘greener’ way to make jeans blue|Shi En Kim|November 3, 2021|Science News For Students

Your happiness as a reader will depend on how open you are to insights that recognize no coincidences, some of them from the crystal-indigo-rainbow file, as well as proposed, though not explained, secret-knowledge theories.
The tale of a bass player, sonic epiphanies and a quest to save ‘real music’|Ben Ratliff|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
With Mood Indigo, I had a girlfriend who got really sick in America and I had to pay for the hospital bills.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’|Marlow Stern|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both Eternal Sunshine and Mood Indigo concern a relationship unraveling.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’|Marlow Stern|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“With Mood Indigo, I really let myself be as me as I could be,” Gondry tells The Daily Beast.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’|Marlow Stern|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The jeans mysteriously came in a spray can, and were offered in two washes: “Indigo,” and “Bright Light.”
American Eagle's Spray-On 'Skinny Skinny' Jeans Are, Thankfully, A Joke|Isabel Wilkinson|March 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He hangs around with the supposedly psychic Indigo Children who inspired The Last Airbender.
This Week’s Hot Reads: November 6, 2012|Mythili Rao|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The indigo plant is herbaceous, and from one to three feet high, with delicate bluish-green leaves.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Next rinse the veil through two cold waters, tinging the last with indigo.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
But the foot-gin appeared on the scene, and indigo went down before cotton.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
Some fifty years later, a planter's daughter tried to raise indigo.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
After several failures, she succeeded in doing so, and indigo was raised in Carolina until the time came when cotton paid better.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber

British Dictionary definitions for indigo

indigo

/ (ˈɪndɪˌɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos or -goes

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

any of various tropical plants of the leguminous genus Indigofera, such as the anil, that yield this dyeCompare wild indigo

any of a group of colours that have the same blue-violet hue; a spectral colour
(as adjective)an indigo carpet

Derived forms of indigo

indigotic (ˌɪndɪˈɡɒtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for indigo

C16: from Spanish indico, via Latin from Greek Indikos of India

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

indigo

Origin of indigo

Words nearby indigo

Words related to indigo

How to use indigo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for indigo

Derived forms of indigo

Word Origin for indigo