primary colour

noun

1. Also calledadditive primary any of three spectral colours (usually red, green, and blue) that can be mixed to match any other colour, including white light but excluding black
2. Also calledsubtractive primary any one of the spectral colours cyan, magenta, or yellow that can be subtracted from white light to match any other colour. An equal mixture of the three produces a black pigment
3. Also calledpsychological primary any one of the colours red, yellow, green, or blue. All other colours look like a mixture of two or more of these colours and they play a unique role in the processing of colour by the visual system

Example Sentences

Sharon here named an equally well-known primary colour—not red.

From Project Gutenberg

Red is a primary colour, and green, which is a secondary colour, consists of blue and yellow—the other two primary colours.

From Project Gutenberg