what came first orange (the colour) or the fruit?

Answer 1

the fruit...orange fruit turns orange after it's ripe

Answer 2

Initially, I would have said the fruit, since I would have thought that people would have been eating the orange fruit longer than they would have been able to make the orange pigment. Only that there is a naturally occuring orange pigment - Ochre.

Ochre has been known since the antiquity (okhra in Greek) and occurs naturally as yellow ochre (limonite) or as red ochre (hematite). Ochre has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times and is perhaps the most widely used pigment for artists paints. Depending upon the content of hydrated iron oxide, the colour of ochre varies from light yellow to orange-red.

On the otherhand, if the fruit was named after the colour and the colour was called ochre, then we'd be eating ochres.

Answer 3

the colour - because the colour is simply light at a certain wavelength and light has existed since the big bang whereas oranges (the fruit) have only recently appeared

Answer 4

The fruit, before that people called it yellowy-red, when the fruit came along people gave it the same name.

Answer 5

I would assume the color came first and the orange was named after the color.

Answer 6

the fruit came first cuz when the first orange grew, it had to ripe to its orange color

Answer 7

I'm sure that the Florida Indians (who had them first) knew of 'oranges' long before other people gave them that name....

Answer 8

When one saw the fruit, he was inspired to name or describe the color which was so unique, so it has to be fruit

Answer 9

The fruit . then it ripes to bcom pure orange in colouras it skin.

Answer 10

the fruit