Alight Quell Mint

Old English ā-lihtan, to set alight — past-participle of alight. As a color modifier, alight implies a saturated-and-currently-illuminated quality, the bright color of Christmas-tree and Diwali-lamp festival-decoration illuminated-and-twinkling emission. Sits at the bright-and-warm end of the grid, parallel to aflame and aglow in usage.

Old English cwellan, to-kill-or-suppress. As a color modifier, quell implies a stilled-and-suppressed-and-pacified quality, the visual register of vesper-bell-and-curfew-quell hand-stilled-and-pacified-and-suppressed vesper-bell-and-curfew-bell-and-night-watch quelled-and-stilled-and-suppressed surfaces under vesper-bell-and-curfew-bell-and-night-watch hush-and-stillness-and-quiet bell-tower-and-monastery light. Sits at the modifier-and-mood end of the grid, parallel to hush and lull in usage.

The genus Mentha — peppermint, spearmint, apple mint, water mint — the cooling herb whose menthol gives it that quality at the molecular level. The color refers to fresh peppermint leaves before drying: a clean, slightly cool green with the matte finish of trichome-rich leaf surface. Lighter than basil, cooler than parsley, with the mojito-and-Pimm's association of a herb tied to summer drinks across two continents.