primary color

noun

1. Art.,  a color, as red, yellow, or blue, that in mixture yields other colors.

2. Optics.,  any of a set of monochromatic colors, as red, green, and blue, that are added to match or specify the chromaticity of a stimulus or sample.

primary color

1. Any of a group of colors from which all other colors can be made by mixing.

2. See more at additive subtractive See Note at color

Word History and Origins

Origin of primary color¹

First recorded in 1605–15