Hygienic Coy Teal

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.

Latin quietus, still-and-quiet. As a color modifier, coy implies a shy-and-reserved-and-half-glanced quality, the visual register of Watteau-fête-galante-and-Rococo-coy hand-shy-and-reserved-and-half-glanced Watteau-fête-galante-and-Rococo-and-French-pastoral coyed-and-shy-and-reserved-and-half-glanced surfaces under Watteau-fête-galante-and-Rococo-and-French-pastoral garden-pavilion-and-fan-and-mask powdered-pastel-light. Sits at the modifier-and-mood end of the grid, parallel to meek and charm in usage.

Anas crecca, the small dabbling duck whose male in breeding plumage sports a chestnut head crossed by a glossy green-blue stripe. The color refers to that stripe — the iridescent panel just behind the eye: a saturated, slightly muted blue-green with the optical depth of structural color rather than pigment. Cooler than cypress, warmer than cerulean, with the ornithological specificity of a color named for one feather of one bird.