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'Chartreuse yellow' is the color that was traditionally known simply as ''chartreuse'' before the web color chartreuse (named after ''green'' Chartreuse liqueur) was invented in the mid 1990s. Nowadays this color is called ''chartreuse yellow'' to distinguish it from the web color. ''Chartreuse yellow'' is a color that was named because of its resemblance to the yellow color of one of the French liqueurs called ''yellow chartreuse'', introduced in 1838. [1]

Contents

Chartreuse yellow

Chartreuse yellow in human culture

References

Chartreuse yellow

At right is displayed the color 'chartreuse yellow'.
The first recorded use of ''chartreuse'' as a color name in English (in the original sense of ''chartreuse'', meaning what is here called ''chartreuse yellow'') was in 1892. ^[1] The name of the original color ''chartreuse'', i.e., what is called here ''chartreuse yellow'', came from of one of the French liqueurs called yellow chartreuse, introduced in 1838.
The color ''chartreuse yellow'' is 85% yellow and 15% green.

Chartreuse yellow in human culture

'Alcoholic beverages'

★ Chartreuse yellow represents yellow chartreuse liqueur. [2]
'Art'

★ Since the mid 1960s, water based fluorescent chartreuse yellow paint has been available to paint psychedelic black light paintings. (Fluorescent chartreuse yellow is one of the seven major colors used, in addition to fluorescent orange, fluorescent red, fluorescent cerise, fluorescent magenta, fluorescent "blue" (actually azure), and fluorescent green.)
'Firefighting'

★ Since about 1973, a sort of fluorescent chartreuse yellow has been adopted as the color of fire engines in parts of the United States and elsewhere. The reason behind this is that chartreuse fire engines are more visible on the streets than the traditional red fire engines, especially at night (the reason for this is the Purkinje Effect, i.e., the cones do not function as efficiently as in dim light, so red objects appear to be black). In Australia and New Zealand this form of chartreuse yellow is also known as "ACT Yellow" as this is the color of the fire engines in the Australian Capital Territory.
'Music'

★ The song "You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse," recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five, is directed at a girl who has "spent too much time in that beauty booth" and whose hair has turned chartreuse yellow.
'Safety Clothing'

★ Public utility workers in San Francisco and many other cities wear clothing colored fluorescent chartreuse yellow (officially called ''neon yellow'') for safety purposes when working on the street. This color is also worn by bicyclists for safety purposes.
'Sport'

★ Chartreuse yellow is the official colour of a tennis ball.

★ Chartreuse yellow is one of the official colors of the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association.

References

1. Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample: Page 45 Plate 11 Color Sample L1--Chartreuse