Colour words in Portuguese (as cores)

Expressions with cor (colour, hue, shade)

• furta-cor - iridescent
• cor de linho - flaxen
• corar - to colour / blush

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preto - black, dark, gloomy, awful, raven, swarthy, dun- coloured, dull

Shades / expressions

• negro como o azeviche - jet-black
• mercado negro - black (clandestine) market
• buraco negro - black hole
• ficar negro - to be, go black
• âmbar-negro - jet (stone)
• sujo - black / dirty (with smoke)
• preto - blackish / dark / swarthy (LAm) / brunette
• magia negra - black magic
• o preto no branco - in writing, clearly

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branco - white, light, fair, blank, cowardly, paleface, hoary
alvo - white, target

Shades / expressions

• em branco - blank, unwritten
• branco, como a neve / de neve - as white as a sheet
• dar um branco (nele) - draw a blank
• noite em branco - sleepless night

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vermelho - red, ruddy, sandy, loud
tinto - coloured, red (wine), rosy, ruddy
ruivo - red-haired

Shades / expressions

• olho roxo - black eye
• estar no vermelho - to be in the red
• ficar vermelho - to go red
• a vermelhidão - redness

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amarelo - yellow, amber
amarelar - to go yellow, old (paper); chicken out

Shades / expressions

• cartão de amarelo - yellow card
• amarelinha - hopscotch
• golvo amarelo - wallflower
• sorriso amarelo - sardonic smile

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azul - blue

Shades

• azul celeste - sky blue
• azul-marinho - navy blue
• azul-turquesa - turquoise
• azul-petróleo - teal
• azular - run away
• saco azul - slush fund

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verde - green, unripe, fresh, unseasoned, inexperienced
esverdeado - greenish

Shades / expressions

• verde abacate - avocado-green
• verde-oliva - olive-green
• verde garrafa – bottle-green
• verde de medo – very frightened
• verde de fome – terribly hungry
• jogar verde - to fish, ask leading questions
• sinal verde – signal to ‘go’
• cinturão verde – green belt (around town)
• verduras – greens (food)
• verdejar – turn green
• feijão verde – green bean

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marrom – brown, maroon (clothes, shoes)
castanho - brown (hair), tan
moreno – dark (skin, hair)
pardo (paper)
trigueiro - tawny

Expressions

• muito moreno / muito bronzeado - as brown as a berry
• ficar moreno / morenar-se / bronzear-se - to get brown (in the sun)
• pão integral - brown bread
• dourar – brown (food)
• imprensa marrom – tabloid (newspaper)
• açúcar mascavo - brown sugar

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cor-de rosa - pink, rose, rose-coloured

Expressions

• rosinhar – look, go pink
• cravo – pink (carnation)
• ter uma visão idílica - to see everything through rose-tinted spectacles

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cor de laranja / alaranjado - orange

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pardo – grey (horse)
cinzento - ashen
sombrio - dismal

Expressions

• ficar grisalho - go grey (hair, person)
• urso pardo – grizzly bear
• encanecer – go grey

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roxo, purpúreo / morado (of bruise) - purple / violet

Expressions

• violeta – violet
• roxo de saudades – pining away

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