värvi

Värvi is the Estonian noun meaning color, as the visual property by which objects are distinguished in hue. The form värvi is the genitive singular of värv and appears in phrases such as värvi nimetused (color names) or värvi omadused (color properties).

Color perception results from light and the eye. Visible light spans roughly 380 to 750 nanometers; different wavelengths are perceived as different colors. In the human retina, cone cells enable color vision, typically in three types corresponding to long, medium and short wavelengths, producing trichromatic vision. Color can also be described as the result of an object’s reflectance spectrum interacting with the observer’s sensory system and brain.

Technological color models include RGB for additive color used by displays and CMYK for subtractive color used in printing. Color spaces such as sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB specify how color values map to perceptual colors. International standards from CIE (e.g., XYZ) provide reference models for color measurement and reproduction.

In Estonian usage, värvi is part of a system of color words and grammar: värv is the base word “color,” värvid is plural “colors,” and värvima means to color. Color is used across science, design and daily life to describe appearance, symbolism, and categorization.

The study of color intersects physics, physiology, psychology, art, and technology, and color management aims to achieve consistent color rendering across different devices and media.