Glowing Virtus Mint

The progressive participle of glow, to emit light — used as a color word since the medieval period for hues that read as if they were luminous from within. Glowing amber, glowing rose: the implication is moderate saturation combined with the optical impression of internal light. Sits in the bright-bucket alongside radiant.

Latin virtus, manliness-and-courage-and-virtue. As a color modifier, virtus implies a Roman-virtus-and-stoic-and-Cardinal-Virtues quality, the visual register of Roman-virtus-and-Stoic-Cardinal-Virtues hand-Roman-virtus-and-stoic-and-Cardinal-Virtues Roman-virtus-and-Stoic-Cardinal-Virtues-and-Marcus-Aurelius virtus-and-Roman-virtus surfaces under Roman-virtus-and-Stoic-Cardinal-Virtues-and-Marcus-Aurelius Republican-Rome-and-Marcus-Aurelius Stoic-virtue-light. Sits at the modifier-and-Latin end of the grid, parallel to senex and dux 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.