indigo
/ˈɪndɪˌɡoʊ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.31 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A blue-colored dye obtained from certain plants (indigo plant or woad), or a similar synthetic dye.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An indigo plant, such as from species in genera Indigofera, Amorpha (false indigo), Baptisia (wild indigo), and Psorothamnus and Dalea (indigo bush).
Countable; Uncountable
adj
name
A local government area in north-east Victoria, Australia, named after Indigo Valley; in full, the Shire of Indigo.
name
A female given name.
Example Sentences
- "The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. It rose in places, black and sharp against the velvety indigo, over her dipping bow, though most of the low littoral was wrapped in obscurity."
- "A Southern planter has been sowing indigo and cotton together. Perhaps he contemplates raising blue cotton; and should he water the plants with nitric acid, he would probably raise gun cotton—if any."
- "Details of Thunberg’s charge came as Just Stop Oil said its cofounders, Indigo Rumbelow and Roger Hallam, were arrested on Wednesday morning following dawn raids at their homes."
Etymology
16th century (as indico, modern spelling from the 17th century), Spanish índigo, Portuguese endego (modern índigo), or Dutch (via Portuguese) indigo, all from Latin indicum (“indigo”), from Ancient Greek ἰνδικόν (indikón, “Indian dye”), from Ἰνδία (Indía). Doublet of Indic.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: índigo, endego, -, indicum, ἰνδικόν
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɪndɪˌɡoʊ/
- British English: /ˈɪn.dɪˌɡəʊ/