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Glite Dictionary
🟦 A dark blue color 🎨 A blue pigment
iron blue

iron blue

7.1
A blue color made from iron used in paint or to dye clothes
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : azul de Prusia
  • The artist chose iron blue to create a rich background for his painting.

Examples

  • The fabric was dyed in iron blue, giving it a deep, striking hue.

  • For the mural, they decided to use iron blue because it complements the other colors.

  • So I've got iron, iron apricot, iron blue, and cats white.

Synonyms

Prussian blue
vsiron blue
1 7.4

A dark blue color with a little green that artists use for painting

is a broader class of pigments defined by chemical origin not one deep shade

How Blue

ultramarine
1 7.9
cobalt blue
5 3.7
iron blue
  • Specialized
7.1
cerulean
3 8.8
powder blue
2 3.7

Surface Forms

iron blue singular
iron blues plural

Morphology

iron + blue

The noun phrase 'iron blue' directly combines 'iron' (material/source) with 'blue' (a color), so its meaning as a blue pigment or shade related to iron compounds is compositional and inferable. This follows common noun+color naming patterns (e.g., 'copper green', 'pearl white') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Iron blue originally named the blue 'pigments' made from iron for paints, inks, and dyes. These iron-made pigments gave a rich, deep blue, so the term still refers to those blue materials and the colour they produce.