Tough Chervil Crimson

Old English tōh, firm / tenacious — sharing root with German zäh. As a color modifier, tough implies a saturated-and-resilient quality where the hue resists fading-and-modulation through its strong pigmentation. Sits at the bold-and-resilient end of the grid, parallel to rugged and hardy in usage.

Latin chaerephylla, delicate-French-fines-herbes. As a color modifier, chervil implies a delicate-French-fines-herbes-and-anise-leaf quality, the visual register of French-fines-herbes-and-Lyon-bistro-chervil hand-delicate-French-fines-herbes-and-anise-leaf French-fines-herbes-and-Lyon-bistro-chervil-and-spring-vinaigrette chervil-and-delicate-French-fines-herbes surfaces under French-fines-herbes-and-Lyon-bistro-chervil-and-spring-vinaigrette Lyon-bouchon-and-Loire-Valley-spring spring-bistro-light. Sits at the modifier-and-flavor end of the grid, parallel to chive and dill in usage.

From the Old Spanish cremesin, itself from the Arabic qirmiz — the kermes scale insect, dried and ground into a brilliant carmine dye prized in the medieval Mediterranean. For centuries the most expensive red on a draper's shelf, reserved for cardinals, kings, and the cloth that gave English the word crimson. Cooler than scarlet, deeper than rose; the color of pomegranate seeds and a serious occasion.