Indigo Dye

Indigo dye

Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Indigo is a natural dye obtained from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera genus, in particular Indigofera tinctoria. Dye-bearing Indigofera plants were once common throughout the world. Blue colorants are relatively rare. Since indigo is insoluble, it is also referred to as a pigment.

Indigo

Indigo is a term used for a number of hues in the region of blue. The word comes from the ancient dye of the same name. The term "indigo" can refer to the color of the dye, various colors of fabric dyed with indigo dye, a spectral color, one of the seven colors of the rainbow as described by Sir Isaac Newton, or a region on the color wheel, and can include various shades of blue, ultramarine, and green-blue. Since the web era, the term has also been used for various purple and violet hues identified as "indigo", based on use of the term "indigo" in HTML web page specifications.

Dye

A dye is a colored substance that is soluble in some solvent; by contrast pigments are insoluble or nearly so in all solvents. Because of their solubility, dyes can chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber.

indigo

Noun

1. A purplish-blue color.
2. A greenish dark blue color; the color of indigo dye.

Adjective

1. having a deep purplish-blue colour

dye

Noun

1. A colorant, especially one that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is applied.
2. Any hue or color.

Verb

1. To colour with dye, or as if with dye.