Grün

Grün is the German name for the color green, the color of vegetation and growth. It is a basic term in everyday language as well as in design, art, and fashion. In German it refers to the color itself and appears in many phrases and compound nouns, such as grünes Licht (green light) or grüner Daumen (green thumb). The word functions as an adjective with standard German inflection (grüner, grün, grünes, grüne, etc.).

Pronunciation and spelling: Grün is pronounced with a front rounded vowel [ɡryːn]. The umlaut over the u changes the vowel quality in many related forms, a regular feature of Modern German orthography.

Etymology: The term is of Germanic origin and has cognates in other languages, notably Dutch groen and English green. It is among the oldest color terms in the Germanic language family and is closely linked to the color of vegetation and nature.

Color properties and representation: In physical terms, green occupies roughly the spectral range of 495–570 nanometers. In color models used in technology, green is produced in additive light by activating the green channel in RGB, and in subtractive color systems it is obtained by mixing cyan and yellow. In web design, the named color green corresponds to the hexadecimal value #008000.

Cultural significance: Green commonly symbolizes nature, renewal, and environmentalism. In politics, the Green Party is a well-known political movement in German-speaking countries (Die Grünen). In everyday life, green is used on traffic signals to indicate “go,” and phrases like Grüne Woche or grüner Daumen reflect associations with sustainability, agriculture, and horticulture.