"The earliest uses of the word in English refer to the fruit, and the color was later named after the fruit. Before the English-speaking world was exposed to the fruit, the color was referred to as "yellow-red" (geoluread in Old English) or "red-yellow"."
"The earliest uses of the word in English refer to the fruit, and the color was later named after the fruit. Before the English-speaking world was exposed to the fruit, the color was referred to as "yellow-red" (geoluread in Old English) or "red-yellow"."
The problem with English speaking world, is that old English was never properly defined and that which was written, would almost certainly not have referenced the fruit, being as they would very unlokely have seen one since the Romans left. The latin word for the fruit being aurantiaco, which is much closer to the modern English word. The modern use of the world was almost certainly Norman/French in origin as it's exactly the same in modern French as English. The French words in modern English have changed far less in that last 1000 years than they have in French. Most latin based languages have very simlar words for the fruit, whilst northern European languages tend to be a variation on the German apfelsine, however most Germans and Austrians would consider this to be a bit posh and nowadays refer to an orange. The first latin based usage is probably drawn back to Spanish where the fruit could be grown in Europe, therefor the fruit comes first. The Germanic meaning started as Ein Apfel aus China, referring to where the fruit in East Europe was orignally first traded. At some point, this has become shortened, probably by Dutch (Who have a royal connection to the colour) to appelsine - again though the fruit was first. If you want to get a lot of confusing answers, ask German speakers across Europe what they would call orange juice. To go back even further, the Persian word in Sanskrit is nraga and was used to discribe the fruit. Remarkably similar to the modern Spanish.
TL;DR - The fruit came first whichever way you look at it.
BDNik said: The problem with English speaking world, is that old English was never properly defined and that which was written, would almost certainly not have referenced the fruit, being as they would very unlokely have seen one since the Romans left. The latin word for the fruit being aurantiaco, which is much closer to the modern English word. The modern use of the world was almost certainly Norman/French in origin as it's exactly the same in modern French as English. The French words in modern English have changed far less in that last 1000 years than they have in French. Most latin based languages have very simlar words for the fruit, whilst northern European languages tend to be a variation on the German apfelsine, however most Germans and Austrians would consider this to be a bit posh and nowadays refer to an orange. The first latin based usage is probably drawn back to Spanish where the fruit could be grown in Europe, therefor the fruit comes first. The Germanic meaning started as Ein Apfel aus China, referring to where the fruit in East Europe was orignally first traded. At some point, this has become shortened, probably by Dutch (Who have a royal connection to the colour) to appelsine - again though the fruit was first. If you want to get a lot of confusing answers, ask German speakers across Europe what they would call orange juice. To go back even further, the Persian word in Sanskrit is nraga and was used to discribe the fruit. Remarkably similar to the modern Spanish.
TL;DR - The fruit came first whichever way you look at it.
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