Farba

Farba is a term used in several Slavic languages to denote color, paint, or pigment. In Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, farba commonly refers to the material used to add color to surfaces or objects, as well as to the color itself in everyday language. In Polish, for example, farba denotes both paint products and pigments, and the verb farbować means to dye or paint something. In Ukrainian, фарба (farba) similarly means paint or dye and is used across contexts from art to house painting.

Etymology and linguistic notes

The word is typically traced to German Farbe (color, paint), with similar forms appearing in various neighboring languages. Through contact and borrowing, the term spread and adapted to Slavic phonology and usage. In many contexts, farba is distinguished from other words for color, such as kolory or barwy, by emphasizing the applied material rather than the hue itself.

Usage and scope

In everyday and artistic language, farba can refer to different types of paints, such as olejna (oil paint), akrylowa (acrylic paint), or wodna (watercolor). It also covers exterior and interior wall paints used in construction. Beyond paint, the word can imply pigments or coloring agents used in industries like printing, textiles, or manufacturing. The related verb farbować describes the act of applying color or dyeing.

See also

Color, paint, pigment, dye. In linguistic terms, related concepts include barwa (hue) and kolor (color) in languages where these distinctions are made.