What does cyan mean?
Cyan is a vivid greenish-blue colour that occupies the region of the spectrum between green and blue, corresponding to light wavelengths of roughly 490 to 520 nanometres. It takes its name from the ancient Greek word kyanos, meaning a dark blue substance. In modern use, cyan is best known as one of the three subtractive primary colours — alongside magenta and yellow — on which commercial colour printing depends; combined with black, these inks form the familiar CMYK model. Cyan also appears in digital display technology, in photography processes such as the cyanotype, and in descriptions of natural phenomena like shallow tropical water or clear high-altitude skies. Because it is bright, cool, and attention-grabbing, designers frequently use it for accents, links, and highlights. Though less common in everyday speech than related shades like turquoise or aqua, cyan remains the precise term whenever accuracy about this particular hue matters.
A greenish-blue colour; specifically, one of the three subtractive primary colours used in printing, and the perceptual response to light of roughly 490–520 nm wavelength.
"The printer ran out of cyan halfway through the job, leaving the images with an unnatural reddish cast."
Most commonly encountered in printing, design, optics, and scientific contexts.
Of a greenish-blue colour; having the colour cyan.
"She painted the shutters a cheerful cyan shade that echoed the nearby sea."
Rarely pluralised in practice; the plural appears mainly when referring to multiple named instances or swatches of the colour.
"The brand guidelines listed several approved cyans for print and web use."
Cyan gets its name from Greek 'kyanos' — the same root as cyanide — because both were first identified through strikingly coloured compounds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cyan
The word cyan derives from the ancient Greek kyanos (κύανος), a term for a dark blue enamel or mineral, likely lapis lazuli or a similar substance. It entered English in the late nineteenth century, when chemists adopting German usage applied it to the blue-green hues produced by certain metal compounds — hence related terms like cyanide, itself named for the intense blue of iron ferrocyanide. The word was later standardised in colour science as the name of the greenish-blue primary of the subtractive colour model, cementing its place in printing and imaging terminology.
Related word forms
How cyan is actually used
Cyan is primarily technical and descriptive in register, appearing most often in design, printing, photography, and scientific contexts rather than everyday conversation. In casual speech people more often say 'turquoise' or 'aqua' for similar shades. The spelling and pronunciation are consistent across British and US English.
Easily confused with cyan
Teal is a darker, more muted blue-green that combines cyan with black or grey, whereas cyan is the brighter, purer greenish-blue primary colour.
Turquoise leans slightly greener and often paler than cyan, which sits closer to the pure spectral blue-green.