Azure (color)

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Azure
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#007FFF
RGB^B	(r, g, b)	(0, 127, 255)
CMYK^H	(c, m, y, k)	(100, 50, 0, 0)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(210°, 100%, 100%)
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Azure is a color, about halfway between blue and cyan, which resembles the sky on a bright, clear day. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel between blue and cyan, with a hue of 210° in HSV color space. The complementary color of azure is orange.

1 Etymology of Azure
2 United Nations Azure
3 Azure in Human Culture
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Etymology of Azure

The term azure derives from the Persian لاژورد lazhward, which was the name of a place known for its deposits of the deep blue stone now called lapis lazuli (stone of lazhward). The word was adopted into Old French by the twelfth century. From the French it was adopted into the English. The first recorded use of azure as a color name in English was in 1374. <ref> Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190 </ref>

In Russian, goluboj (azure or cyan) and sinij (blue or navy blue) are distinct colors the way red and pink are distinct colors in English. The same distinction exists between "azzurro" (azure, but used to indicate various shades of light blue) and "blu" (blue) in Italian.

[edit] United Nations Azure

United Nations Azure
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#5B92E5
RGB^B	(r, g, b)	(91, 146, 229)
CMYK^H	(c, m, y, k)	(100, 40, 6, 0)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(210°, 87%, 87%)
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the color United Nations azure. It is also called United Nations blue. This is the color of the flag of the United Nations and of the helmets worn by the United Nations peacekeeping forces.

[edit] Azure in Human Culture

Computer Games

In the computer game Diablo using an eldritch shrine will give you the message "Crimson and Azure becomes as the sun"
In the classic first person shooter Quake, a level is titled "Azure Agony", and features a blue color scheme.
In the first .hack// game series on PS2, two of the friends of the main character, Kite, are known by special names. They are Orca of the Azure Sea and Balmung of the Azure Sky.

Food

Berry Blue Jell-O is a marvelously bright azure color.

Literature

In Poetry, azure is often used to represent or refer to the sky or Heaven.

Oceanography

Azure is often used in France to describe the Mediterranean Sea.

Vexillology

Azure is one of the national colors of Italy on its Coat of Arms.
Nations which use shades of Azure in their flags include Argentina, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Palau, San Marino, Somalia, Sweden, and Ukraine.
The flag of the United Nations is a shade of azure called "United Nations Blue".
The Bisexual pride flag uses a shade of azure, Pantone Blue #286.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Azure (color used in heraldry)
List of colors

					Shades of blue
Alice blue	Azure	Blue	Cerulean	Cerulean blue	Cobalt blue	Cornflower blue	Dark blue	Denim	Dodger blue	Indigo	International Klein Blue

Lavender	Midnight Blue	Navy blue	Periwinkle	Persian blue	Powder blue	Prussian blue	Royal blue	Sapphire	Steel blue	Ultramarine	Light blue