Page of Gray
A page entirely dedicated to the color gray, describing it in detail while also presenting my thoughts. I might be going insane or something. If you're bored, or you actually want me to explain it, then go ahead.
Gray ( pronounced /ɡrā/, ā making a "ay" sound in case you couldn't read accent marks) is an intermediate color between colors black and white. Gray itself represents a whole medium of achromatic colors, or colors with little to no color. The color can be used to describe colors of things such as cloudy skies, ashes, or lead.
The first recorded use of gray as a color name in the English language was in 700-800 AD, but I'm not sure what it was used in. Grey is the spelling which is often used in European/Commonwealth English, and gray being the spelling that is used in American English. Since I'm an American, I'll just stick to "gray". The word gray originates from a lot of terms, being:
- Middle English "grai"
- Old English "grǣġ"
- Old Norse "grár"
- Latin "rāvus"
- Dutch "grauw"
- German "grau"
Rāvus just might have the best ring to it. Gray is most associated with neutrality and conformity, and is considered the quintessential color of pure sadness and boredom. In a more...positive sense, the color represents being refined and dependable.
Here are some commonly used webcolors for achromatic grays (referring to grays that have no hues):
#DCDCDC - Gainsbro
I like the word Gainsbro, and it is possibly named after Thomas Gainsborough, an English painter living from 14 May 1727 – 2 August 1788, and his work are characterized by a light palette and easy strokes, which makes complete sense.
#C0C0C0 - Silver
The color used to represent silver, it's that simple! Though you can't display metallic colors on a computer sadly. Metallic colors are always a plus.
#989898 - Spanish Gray
The color referred to as gray in Guía de coloraciones (Guide to colorations) by Rosa Gallego and Juan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005. Does that make standard gray "English Gray"? I mean, there does happen to be is a French Gray, being #BEBFC5.
#808080 - Gray
The commonly used tone of gray, the webcolor #808080 (used in HTML) is the universal standard for gray because of it being completely halfway between white and black.
#555555 - Davy's Gray
Named after named for Henry Davy, with the first recorded use of Davy’s gray as a color name in English being in 1940. Imagine that, a color named after you, what a strange way to be remembered.
#404040 - Oynx
Onyx refers to a banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral like agate. Agate isn't gray, but it comes in a wide variety in colors, which is pretty great. Not to be confused with the Pokémon Onix, which has a main color of around #A2A1A9.
Here are some commonly used webcolors for notable grays that are more well known:
#FFFFFF - White
Yes, white is technically a gray shade because it has no true color. Can be used to describe milk, chalk, and beautiful snow. Quite a bright color.
#4D5D53 - Feldgrau
The color used by German military uniforms during the 20th century. It was actually used in uniforms for Austria, Sweden, Finald, and Chile as well.
#40404F - Payne's Gray
Another color named after a person. The color is named after William Payne, a painter who painted with watercolours in the late 18th century. The recorded use of Payne's Gray as a name in English was in 1835.
#16161d - Eidengrau
The color that represents darkness. Like the darkness you see (or rather don't see) when you're in a room with no light. The term dates back to the 19th century.
#000000 - Black
Is technically a gray shade the same reason as white. Nothing has ever really been completely black but the darkest known black is #030201 (Fun fact, that hexcode was colored, here's #000000 for reference!)