Hygienic Meek Mint

Greek hygieinós, healthful — derived from Hygieia (goddess of health). As a color modifier, hygienic implies a clear-and-medical-clean quality, the crisp color of Mid-Century-Modern clinical-and-hospital interior-architecture surfaces. Sits at the crisp-and-clean end of the grid, parallel to sanitary and sterile in usage.

Old Norse mjúkr, soft-and-gentle. As a color modifier, meek implies a hushed-and-self-effacing-and-quiet quality, the visual register of Beatitude-and-Quaker-meeting-meek hand-bowed-and-self-effacing-and-quiet Beatitude-and-Quaker-meeting-and-monastic-cloister meek-and-bowed-and-quieted surfaces under Beatitude-and-Quaker-meeting-and-monastic-cloister hush-and-bowed-vigil candle-lit-light. Sits at the modifier-and-mood end of the grid, parallel to coy and mute 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.