The Etymology of “orange”.
May 23, 2003, 04:05 pmSo which came first, “orange” the fruit? Or “orange” the color?
According to webster.com, the fruit came first:
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Old Provençal auranja, from Arabic nAranj, from Persian nArang, from Sanskrit nAranga orange tree.
Wow. That's interesting. Sanskrit. I'm impressed.
Just as “drier sheets” will be my answer if someone ever asks me what my secret to success is, “facination with the word etymology” shall be my greatest weakness.