Farbworte

Farbworte are German words that denote hues, shades or tints. The term comes from the German words “Farbe” (colour) and “Wort” (word) and is used by linguists to refer specifically to lexical items that belong to the colour domain. Farbworte can be subdivided into basic colour terms (e.g., rot, blau, grün) and more specific or cultural colour words (e.g., eiseßblau, mahagonirot, silbriggelb). In German, such terms can function as adjectives, nouns or participles, and they often play a role in metaphorical or figurative language (e.g., „rot vor Wut“, „grün im Wind“, „gelb vor Neid“).

Historically, Farbworte have been used to map the relationship between language and colour perception. Studies in psycholinguistics and cognitive science use the lexical list of Farbworte to investigate colour categorisation and cross‑linguistic differences. In German literature, colour words appear frequently as car‑identifiers, in decorative contexts or for subtle emotional connotations. The combination “Farbwort” also features in educational contexts, where children are taught basic color vocabulary to support early literacy and perceptual development.

In summary, Farbworte form a distinct lexical category that is central to everyday communication in German. They illustrate how names for colours encode cultural preferences, perceptual nuances, and metaphorical meaning. The study of Farbworte contributes to broader linguistic research on lexical semantics, cognitive linguistics, and the interface between language and sensory experience.