Turkey blue

English

Etymology

From the manner of preparing indigo practiced in the Ottoman Empire ("Turkey"). Doublet of turquoise blue.

Noun

Turkey blue (plural Turkey blues)

1. (obsolete) A deep blue obtained by careful application of indigo dye to silk.
   • 1810, "Dyeing", Encyclopaedia Britannica, 4th ed., Vol. VII, §§300–302:

     Silk is dyed blue with indigo alone, without any proportion of woad... with ſix pounds of bran, and about twelve ounces of madder... half a pound of madder for each pound of potaſh, renders the vat greener, and produces a more fixed colour in the ſilk... it is wrung out, and expoſed to the air, that the green colour may change to a blue... Some addition is required to be made to the indigo, to give ſilk a deep blue... For the Turkey blue, which is the deepeſt, a ſtrong bath of archil is firſt prepared. Conchineal is alſo ſometimes uſed, inftead of archil, for the ground, to render the colour more permanent.

   • 1815, Thomas Cooper, Practical Treatise on Dyeing and Callicoe Printing..., page 252:

     The blues are divided by dyers into five, light blue, sky blue, middle blue, king's blue, Turkey blue. The two last require a previous ground of archil.

   Turkey blue:  

2. (obsolete) An item dyed Turkey blue.
   • 1818, C.W. Rőrdansz, European Commerce..., page 683:

     The bales for the Tunis market should be assorted as under... 9 pieces Turkey blues [per] 50 pieces...

Synonyms

• Turkey, Turkey color

Related terms

• Turkey red

Adjective

Turkey blue (comparative more Turkey blue, superlative most Turkey blue)

1. (obsolete) Dyed Turkey blue.
2. (obsolete) Colored Turkey blue or (inexact) a similarly deep blue.

Synonyms

• Turkey, Turkey color

Related terms

• Turkey red

See also

• (blues) blue; Alice blue, aqua, aquamarine, azure, baby blue, beryl, bice, bice blue, blue green, blue violet, blueberry, cadet blue, Cambridge blue, cerulean, cobalt blue, Copenhagen blue, cornflower, cornflower blue, cyan, dark blue, Dodger blue, duck-egg blue, eggshell blue, electric blue, gentian blue, ice blue, lapis lazuli, light blue, lovat, mazarine, midnight blue, navy, Nile blue, Oxford blue, peacock blue, petrol blue, powder blue, Prussian blue, robin's-egg blue, royal blue, sapphire, saxe blue, slate blue, sky blue, teal, turquoise, ultramarine, Wedgwood blue, zaffre ^{(Category: en:Blues)}

References

• “Turkey, n1.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.