flavus

Flavus is a Latin adjective meaning yellow or golden. In taxonomy and scientific description, flavus (masc.), flavum (neut.), and flava (fem.) are used to indicate a yellow coloration. As an epithet, flavus appears across plants, animals, and fungi to describe features such as yellow flowers, fur, plumage, or fruit. The gendered forms agree with the noun they modify in Latin-based scientific names.

Beyond labeling color, flavus has influenced several modern scientific terms. The root flav- appears in riboflavin, the yellow-orange vitamin also known as vitamin B2, and in flavonoids, a broad class of plant pigments. The virus genus Flavivirus is named from flavus, reflecting the historical association with yellow fever and the yellowish coloration noted in early descriptions of some members.

In historical literature, flavus serves as the standard Latin descriptor for color and has persisted in technical vocabulary. Although the epithet signals color, it does not denote other biological properties by itself. In contemporary taxonomy, flavus continues to be used descriptively, with related forms such as flavum and flava employed to match noun gender in names. The term remains a common example of how Latin color adjectives permeate scientific nomenclature and related terminology.