Polished Tied Mint

Latin polīre, to polish — past-participle of polish. As a color modifier, polished implies a clear-and-smooth-and-glossy quality where the hue carries the visual register of buffed-and-burnished smooth-finish surface. Sits at the crisp-and-finished end of the grid, parallel to burnished and gleaming in usage.

Old English tīgan, to-tie or to-bind. As a color modifier, tied implies a hand-tied-and-knotted quality, the visual register of hand-tied-and-knotted-rope-and-string hand-tied-and-knotted-fishing-net-and-shoelace-and-bow hand-tied-and-knotted-rope-and-cord surfaces under hand-tied-and-knotted-rope-and-cord working-light. Sits at the modifier-and-texture end of the grid, parallel to sewn and knot 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.