red currant
- noun
- /rɛd ˈkɜrənt/
- The dress was a stunning red currant color.
Examples
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She bought a red currant lipstick to match her autumn coat and nail polish.
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The designer recommended red currant curtains to warm the otherwise neutral living room.
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The interior palette featured a bold red currant shade on the feature wall.
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She painted her nails a bright red currant shade.
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The interior palette featured a bold red currant shade on the feature wall.
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She bought a red currant lipstick to match her autumn coat and nail polish.
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The designer recommended red currant curtains to warm the otherwise neutral living room.
Synonyms
A deep bright red color like ripe cherries
A deep red color that is not bright
A bright, deep red like ripe cherries
A dark purple-red colour like red wine
A deep red color like fresh raspberries
A deep wine-red color often used for clothes and rooms
A deep warm red with a slight brown tone
How Red
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: it refers to the red color of the currant fruit, so combining 'red' (a color) with 'currant' (a small red berry) yields a predictable shade name. Naming colors after objects or foods (e.g., lemon yellow, olive green, cherry red) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer this meaning.
Etymology
Red currant as a color name comes from the berry's bright red shade. Designers and makeup makers borrowed that berry color, so today red currant means 'a deep, berry-like shade of red'.