View source for Green

{{short description|Additive primary color visible between cyan and yellow}}
{{About|the color|other uses||different varieties of the color and their names|Shades of green}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox color
| title      = Green
| hex        = 00FF00
| image      = {{photomontage
|photo1a=Spanish jewellery-Gold and emerald pendant at VAM-01.jpg
|photo1b=Rotbugara 2010.JPG
|photo1c=Van Eyck - Arnolfini Portrait.jpg
|photo2a=First three female Marines graduate Infantry training course 131121-M-JR212-165.jpg
|photo2b=Limes.jpg
|photo2c=Billiard table1.JPG
|photo3a=Champ de blé Côte-d'Or Bourgogne avril 2014.jpg
|photo3b=
|photo3C=
| size = 243
| color_border = #AAAAAA
| color =  #F9F9F9
| foot_montage = }}
| caption = Clockwise, from top left: [[Spain|Spanish]] gold and [[emerald]] pendant; [[chestnut-fronted macaw]]; ''[[Arnolfini Portrait]]'' by [[Jan van Eyck]]; a [[billiards]] table; countryside in [[France]]; a graduating class of [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]]; [[Lime (fruit)|limes]]
| wavelength = 495{{ndash}}570
| frequency  = ≈575{{ndash}}525
| source     = [[X11]]
|cmyk=(100, 0, 100, 0)|c=100|m=0|y=100|k=0}}
<!--{{contains Greek text|compact=yes}} -->

{{Contains special characters|Perso-Arabic|compact=yes}}

<!-- first para – definition, science and nature-->
'''Green''' is the [[color]] between [[cyan]] and [[yellow]] on the [[visible spectrum]]. It is evoked by light which has a [[dominant wavelength]] of roughly 495{{ndash}}570 [[Nanometre|nm]]. In [[subtractive color]] systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combination of yellow and cyan; in the [[RGB color model]], used on television and computer screens, it is one of the [[additive primary colors]], along with [[red]] and [[blue]], which are mixed in different combinations to create all other colors. By far the largest contributor to green in nature is [[chlorophyll]], the chemical by which plants [[photosynthesis|photosynthesize]] and convert sunlight into chemical energy. Many creatures have adapted to their green environments by taking on a green hue themselves as [[camouflage]]. Several [[mineral]]s have a green color, including the [[emerald]], which is colored green by its [[chromium]] content.

<!-- 2nd para – history and culture -->
During [[Post-classical history|post-classical]] and [[Early modern period|early modern]] Europe, green was the color commonly associated with wealth, merchants, bankers, and the gentry, while red was reserved for the nobility. For this reason, the costume of the ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and the benches in the British [[House of Commons]] are green while those in the [[House of Lords]] are red.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=98}} It also has a long historical tradition as the color of [[Ireland]] and of [[Gaelic culture]]. It is the historic color of [[Islam]], representing the lush vegetation of [[Paradise]]. It was the color of the banner of [[Muhammad]], and is found in the flags of nearly all Islamic countries.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=94-98}}

<!-- 3rd para – symbolism and associations-->
In surveys made in [[Americas|American]], European, and [[Muslim world|Islamic countries]], green is the color most commonly associated with [[nature]], [[life]], [[health]], [[youth]], [[spring (season)|spring]], [[hope]], and [[envy]].{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=87–104}} In the [[European Union]] and the [[United States]], green is also sometimes associated with [[toxicity]] and poor health,{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=96-97}} but in China and most of Asia, its associations are very positive, as the symbol of fertility and happiness.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=87–104}} Because of its association with nature, it is the color of the [[environmental movement]]. Political groups advocating environmental protection and social justice describe themselves as part of the [[Green politics|Green movement]], some naming themselves [[Green party|Green parties]]. This has led to similar campaigns in advertising, as companies have sold green, or [[environmentally friendly]], products. Green is also the traditional color of safety and permission; a green light means go ahead, a [[green card]] permits permanent residence in the United States.

== Etymology and linguistic definitions ==
[[File:Leavessnipedale.jpg|thumb|right|The word ''green'' has the same Germanic root as the words for ''grass'' and ''grow'']]

The word ''green'' comes from the [[Middle English]] and [[Old English]] word ''grene'', which, like the [[German language|German]] word ''grün'', has the same root as the words ''grass'' and ''grow''.<ref>''Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language'', The World Publishing Company, New York, 1964.</ref> It is from a [[Common Germanic]] ''[[:wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/grōniz|*gronja]]-'', which is also reflected in [[Old Norse]] ''grænn'', [[Old High German]] ''gruoni'' (but unattested in [[East Germanic languages|East Germanic]]), ultimately from a [[PIE root]] {{lang|ine-x-proto|ghre-}} "to grow", and root-cognate with ''[[:wikt:grass|grass]]'' and ''[[:wikt:grow|to grow]]''.<ref>{{cite web| last =Harper| first =Douglas| title =Online Etymology Dictionary| date =November 2001| url =http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=green&searchmode=none| access-date = November 22, 2007}}</ref>
The first recorded use of the word as a color term in Old English dates to ca. AD 700.<ref>Maerz and Paul (1930). ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York: McGraw-Hill p. 196</ref>

[[Latin]] with ''[[:wikt:viridis|viridis]]'' also has a genuine and widely used term for "green". Related to ''virere'' "to grow" and ''ver'' "spring", it gave rise to words in several [[Romance languages]], French ''vert'', Italian ''verde'' (and English ''[[wikt:vert|vert]]'', ''[[:wikt:verdure|verdure]]'' etc.).<ref name="Pastoureau">{{cite book|last=Pastoureau|first=Michel |title=Green: The History of a Color|publisher=Princeton University Press|date=2014|pages=20–21|isbn=978-0-691-15936-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eRHWBAAAQBAJ&q=green+colour}}</ref> Likewise the [[Slavic languages]] with ''[[:wikt:зелёный|zelenъ]]''. [[Ancient Greek]] also had a term for yellowish, pale green – [[:wikt:χλωρός|χλωρός]], ''chloros'' (cf. the color of chlorine), cognate with χλοερός "verdant" and χλόη "[[chloe]], the green of new growth".

Thus, the languages mentioned above (Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Greek) have old terms for "green" which are derived from words for fresh, sprouting vegetation.
However, [[comparative linguistics]] makes clear that these terms were coined independently, over the past few millennia, and there is no identifiable single [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] or word for "green". For example, the Slavic ''zelenъ'' is cognate with [[Sanskrit]] ''{{ill|harithah|sa|हरितः|vertical-align=sup}}''  "yellow, ochre, golden".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?single=1&basename=/data/ie/vasmer&text_number=++4332&root=config |title=Vasmer's dictionary of Slavic etymology |publisher=Starling.rinet.ru |access-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>
The [[Turkic languages]] also have ''jašɨl'' "green" or "yellowish green", compared to a Mongolian word for "meadow".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=config&morpho=0&basename=%5Cdata%5Calt%5Cturcet&first=1&off=&text_proto=&method_proto=substring&ic_proto=on&text_meaning=&method_meaning=substring&ic_meaning=on&text_rusmean=&method_rusmean=substring&ic_rusmean=on&text_atu=&method_atu=substring&ic_atu=on&text_krh=&method_krh=substring&ic_krh=on&text_trk=&method_trk=substring&ic_trk=on&text_tat=&method_tat=substring&ic_tat=on&text_chg=&method_chg=substring&ic_chg=on&text_uzb=&method_uzb=substring&ic_uzb=on&text_uig=&method_uig=substring&ic_uig=on&text_sjg=&method_sjg=substring&ic_sjg=on&text_azb=&method_azb=substring&ic_azb=on&text_trm=&method_trm=substring&ic_trm=on&text_hak=&method_hak=substring&ic_hak=on&text_shr=&method_shr=substring&ic_shr=on&text_alt=&method_alt=substring&ic_alt=on&text_khal=&method_khal=substring&ic_khal=on&text_chv=&method_chv=substring&ic_chv=on&text_jak=&method_jak=substring&ic_jak=on&text_dolg=&method_dolg=substring&ic_dolg=on&text_tuv=&method_tuv=substring&ic_tuv=on&text_tof=&method_tof=substring&ic_tof=on&text_krg=&method_krg=substring&ic_krg=on&text_kaz=&method_kaz=substring&ic_kaz=on&text_nogx=&method_nogx=substring&ic_nogx=on&text_bas=&method_bas=substring&ic_bas=on&text_blkx=&method_blkx=substring&ic_blkx=on&text_gagx=&method_gagx=substring&ic_gagx=on&text_krmx=&method_krmx=substring&ic_krmx=on&text_klpx=&method_klpx=substring&ic_klpx=on&text_sal=&method_sal=substring&ic_sal=on&text_qum=&method_qum=substring&ic_qum=on&text_reference=&method_reference=substring&ic_reference=on&text_any=green&method_any=substring&sort=proto&ic_any=on |title=Sergei Starostin, Turkic etymology |publisher=Starling.rinet.ru |access-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>

=== Languages where green and blue are one color ===
{{Main|Blue–green distinction in language}}

[[File:Linear visible spectrum.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|The notion of "green" in modern European languages corresponds to about 520&ndash;570&nbsp;nm, but many historical and non-European languages make other choices, e.g. using a term for the range of ca. 450&ndash;530&nbsp;nm ("blue/green") and another for ca. 530&ndash;590&nbsp;nm ("green/yellow").]]
In some languages, including old [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Thai language|Thai]], old [[Japanese language|Japanese]], and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], the same word can mean either blue or green.<ref>Paul Kay and Luisa Maffi, "Color Appearance and the Emergence and Evolution of Basic Color Lexicons", ''American Anthropologist'', March 1999 [http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~kay/color.app.evol.ps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706064208/http://www1.icsi.berkeley.edu/~kay/color.app.evol.ps|date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> The [[Chinese character]] [[wikt:青|青]] (pronounced ''qīng'' in [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]], ''[[Ao (color)|ao]]'' in Japanese, and ''[[wikt:thanh|thanh]]'' in [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]]) has a meaning that covers both blue and green; blue and green are traditionally considered shades of "[[wikt:青|青]]". In more contemporary terms, they are [[wikt:藍|藍]] (''lán'', in Mandarin) and [[wikt:綠|綠]] (''lǜ'', in Mandarin) respectively. Japanese also has two terms that refer specifically to the color green, [[wikt:緑|緑]] (''midori'', which is derived from the classical Japanese descriptive verb ''midoru'' "to be in leaf, to flourish" in reference to trees) and グリーン (''guriin'', which is derived from the English word "green"). However, in Japan, although the traffic lights have the same colors as other countries have, the green light is described using the same word as for blue, ''aoi'', because green is considered a shade of aoi; similarly, green variants of certain fruits and vegetables such as green apples, green ''[[perilla|shiso]]'' (as opposed to red apples and red shiso) will be described with the word ''aoi''. Vietnamese uses a single word for both blue and green, ''[[wikt:xanh|xanh]]'', with variants such as ''xanh da trời'' (azure, lit. "sky blue"), ''lam'' (blue), and ''lục'' (green; also ''xanh lá cây'', lit. "leaf green").

"Green" in modern European languages corresponds to about 520–570&nbsp;nm, but many historical and non-European languages make other choices, e.g. using a term for the range of ca. 450–530&nbsp;nm ("blue/green") and another for ca. 530–590&nbsp;nm ("green/yellow").{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} In the comparative study of [[color term]]s in the world's languages, green is only found as a separate category in languages with the fully developed range of six colors (white, black, red, green, yellow, and blue), or more rarely in systems with five colors (white, red, yellow, green, and black/blue).<ref>{{Cite book |title=Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution |first=Brent |last=Berlin |author2=Paul Kay |edition=new, revised  |location=Stanford, Cal. |publisher=CSLI Publications |series=The David Hume Series of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences Reissues |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-57586-162-3 |oclc=807758450 |pages=2–3 }}</ref><ref>Newman, Paul and Martha Ratliff (2001). ''Linguistic Fieldwork''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|0-521-66937-5}}. p. 105.</ref> These languages have introduced supplementary vocabulary to denote "green", but these terms are recognizable as recent adoptions that are not in origin color terms (much like the English adjective [[:wikt:orange|orange]] being in origin not a color term but the name of a fruit). Thus, the [[Thai language|Thai]] word เขียว ''kheīyw'', besides meaning "green", also means "rank" and "smelly" and holds other unpleasant associations.<ref>{{cite web| title =Search for 'เขียว' |website=English: Thai Dictionary OnLine| publisher =4M System| year =2007| url=http://english-thai-dictionary.com/index.php?q=%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7&sa=Dictionary-search&fields%5B%5D=related&siteurl=english-thai-dictionary.com%2Findex.php| access-date = November 30, 2007}}</ref>

The [[Celtic languages]] had a term for "blue/green/grey", [[Proto-Celtic]] ''*glasto-'', which gave rise to [[Old Irish]] ''glas'' "green, grey" and to [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''glas'' "blue". This word is cognate with the Ancient Greek γλαυκός "bluish green", contrasting with χλωρός "yellowish green" discussed above.
[[File:Green dark square.jpg|thumb|A dark green rectangle]]
In modern Japanese, the term for green is [[:wikt:緑|緑]], while the old term for "blue/green", {{Nihongo|blue|青|Ao}} now means "blue". But in certain contexts, green is still conventionally referred to as 青, as in {{Nihongo|''blue [[traffic light]]''|青信号|ao shingō}} and {{Nihongo|''blue [[leaves]]''|青葉|aoba}}, reflecting the absence of blue-green distinction in old Japanese (more accurately, the [[Traditional colors of Japan|traditional Japanese color terminology]] grouped some [[shades of green]] with blue, and others with yellow tones).

== In science ==
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center"
|-
!colspan="3" style="background:#FFF;"| [[File:Linear visible spectrum.svg|center|240px|sRGB rendering of the spectrum of visible light]]
|-
! [[Color|Colour]]
! [[Frequency]]<br />([[terahertz radiation|THz]])
! [[Wavelength]]<br />([[Nanometre|nm]])
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|#7f00ff|[[violet (color)|'''violet''']]}}
| 668–789
| 380–450
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|blue|'''[[blue]]'''}}
| 610–668
| 450–490
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|cyan|'''[[cyan]]'''}}
| 575–610
| 490–520
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|lime|'''green'''}}
| 526–575
| 520–570
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|yellow|'''[[yellow]]'''}}
| 508–526
| 570–590
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|orange|'''[[orange (colour)|orange]]'''}}
| 484–508
| 590–620
|-
|style="text-align:left"| {{legend|red|'''[[red]]'''}}
| 400–484
| 620–770
|}

=== Color vision and colorimetry ===
In optics, the [[perception]] of green is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a [[wavelength]] of roughly 495–570&nbsp;[[Nanometre|nm]]. The sensitivity of the dark-adapted human eye is greatest at about 507&nbsp;nm, a blue-green color, while the light-adapted eye is most sensitive about 555&nbsp;nm, a yellow-green; these are the peak locations of the rod and cone (scotopic and photopic, respectively) [[luminosity function]]s.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Human vision and color perception
 | website = Olympus Microscopy
 | department = Resource center
 | url = http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/lightandcolor/humanvisionintro.html
 | access-date = 19 September 2007
 | archive-date = January 15, 2011
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110115040551/http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/lightandcolor/humanvisionintro.html
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

The perception of greenness (in opposition to redness forming one of the [[opponent process|opponent]] mechanisms in human [[color vision]]) is evoked by light which triggers the medium-wavelength ''M'' [[cone cell]]s in the eye more than the long-wavelength ''L'' cones. Light which triggers this greenness response more than the yellowness or blueness of the other color opponent mechanism is called green. A green light source typically has a spectral power distribution dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 487–570&nbsp;nm.{{efn|
More specifically, "blue green" 487–493&nbsp;[[Nanometre|nm]], "bluish green" 493–498&nbsp;nm, "green" 498–530&nbsp;nm, "yellowish green" 530–559&nbsp;nm, "yellow green" 559–570&nbsp;nm Kelly (1943).<ref>
{{cite journal
 | last1 = Kelly | first1 = Kenneth L.
 | year = 1943
 | title = Color designations for lights
 | journal = [[Journal of the Optical Society of America]]
 | volume = 33 | issue = 11| pages = 627–32
 | doi=10.1364/josa.33.000627
| bibcode = 1943JOSA...33..627K
 }}
</ref>
}}
[[File:RGB illumination.jpg|left|thumb|Red. green, blue ed are [[additive colors]]. All the colors seen are made by mixing them in different intensities.]]
Human eyes have color receptors known as cone cells, of which there are three types. In some cases, one is missing or faulty, which can cause [[color blind]]ness, including the common inability to distinguish red and yellow from green, known as [[deuteranopia]] or red-green color blindness.<ref name=brit>
{{cite encyclopedia
 |title=Color blindness
 |year=2002
 |encyclopedia=The New Encyclopædia Britannica
 |place=Chicago, IL
 |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Co.
 |isbn=0-85229-787-4
}}
</ref>
Green is restful to the eye. Studies show that a green environment can reduce fatigue.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last=Laird |first=Donald A.
 |date=Sep 1933
 |title=Fatigue: Public enemy number one: What it is and how to fight it
 |journal=The American Journal of Nursing
 |volume=33 |issue=9 |pages=835–841
}}
</ref>

In the [[subtractive color]] system, used in painting and color printing, green is created by a combination of yellow and blue, or yellow and [[cyan]]; in the [[RGB color model]], used on television and computer screens, it is one of the [[additive primary colors]], along with red and blue, which are mixed in different combinations to create all other colors. On the [[HSV color space|HSV color wheel]], also known as the [[:File:RBG color wheel.svg|RGB color wheel]], the [[Complementary color|complement]] of green is [[magenta]]; that is, a color corresponding to an equal mixture of [[red]] and [[blue]] light (one of the [[purple]]s). On a traditional color wheel, based on subtractive color, the complementary color to green is considered to be red.<ref name=wheel>
{{cite web
 |title=Color wheel
 |year=2005
 |department=Glossary term
 |publisher=Sanford Corp.
 |url=http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/g_color_wheel.html
  |access-date=22 November 2007
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021215/http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/g_color_wheel.html
 |archive-date=28 September 2007
}}
</ref>

In additive color devices such as computer displays and televisions, one of the [[primary colors|primary]] light sources is typically a narrow-spectrum yellowish-green of dominant wavelength ≈550&nbsp;[[Nanometre|nm]]; this "green" primary is combined with an orangish-red "red" primary and a purplish-blue "blue" primary to produce any color in between – the RGB color model. A [[unique hues|unique green]] (green appearing neither yellowish nor bluish) is produced on such a device by mixing light from the green primary with some light from the blue primary.

=== Lasers ===
[[Image:Starfire Optical Range - three lasers into space.jpg|right|thumb|Three green lasers being fired at a single spot in the sky from the [[Starfire Optical Range]]]]

[[Laser]]s emitting in the green part of the spectrum are widely available to the general public in a wide range of output powers. Green laser pointers outputting at 532&nbsp;[[Nanometre|nm]] (563.5&nbsp;[[terahertz radiation|THz]]) are relatively inexpensive compared to other wavelengths of the same power, and are very popular due to their good beam quality and very high apparent brightness. The most common green lasers use diode pumped solid state ([[DPSS]]) technology to create the green light.<ref name=laserglow>{{cite web
 |title=Green lasers
 |website=Laserglow (Laserglow.com)
 |url=http://www.laserglow.com/page/greenlaserpointer
 |access-date=27 September 2011
 |archive-date=November 10, 2011
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110201726/http://www.laserglow.com/page/greenlaserpointer
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
An infrared [[laser diode]] at 808&nbsp;nm is used to pump a crystal of neodymium-[[Doping (semiconductor)|doped]] yttrium vanadium oxide (Nd:YVO4) or neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) and induces it to emit 281.76 THz (1064&nbsp;nm). This deeper infrared light is then passed through another crystal containing potassium, titanium and phosphorus (KTP), whose non-linear properties generate light at a frequency that is twice that of the incident beam (563.5 THz); in this case corresponding to the wavelength of 532&nbsp;nm ("green").<ref name="Sams Laser FAQ">
{{cite web
 |title=Sam's laser FAQ
 |website=donklipstein.com
 |publisher=Sam Goldwasser
 |url=http://donklipstein.com/laserssl.htm
 |access-date=27 September 2011
}}
</ref>
Other green wavelengths are also available using DPSS technology ranging from 501&nbsp;nm to 543&nbsp;nm.<ref name=laserglow2>{{cite web
 |title=DPSS lasers
 |website=Laserglow (Laserglow.com)
 |url=http://www.laserglow.com/int-labOEM.htm
 |access-date=27 September 2011
 |archive-date=October 5, 2011
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005115655/http://www.laserglow.com/int-labOEM.htm
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
Green wavelengths are also available from [[gas laser]]s, including the [[helium–neon laser]] (543&nbsp;nm), the Argon-[[ion laser]] (514&nbsp;nm) and the Krypton-ion laser (521&nbsp;nm and 531&nbsp;nm), as well as liquid [[dye laser]]s. Green lasers have a wide variety of applications, including pointing, illumination, surgery, [[laser light shows]], [[spectroscopy]], [[interferometry]], [[fluorescence]], [[holography]], [[machine vision]], [[non-lethal weapons]], and [[bird control]].<ref name=laserglow3>{{cite web
 |title=Green lasers for bird control / abatement
 |website=Laserglow (Laserglow.com)
 |url=http://www.laserglow.com/page/golfcoursebirdcontrol
 |access-date=27 September 2011
 |archive-date=August 7, 2020
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807160555/https://www.laserglow.com/page/golfcoursebirdcontrol
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

As of mid-2011, direct green laser diodes at 510&nbsp;nm and 500&nbsp;nm have become generally available,<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Review: 510&nbsp;nm direct green diodes / Build Photos (DGH-N1, DGH-N2)
 |date=13 December 2011
 |department=Discuss Laser Pointers
 |website=Laser Pointer Forums (laserpointerforums.com)
 |url=http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/review-510nm-direct-green-diodes-build-photos-dgh-n1-dgh-n2-69678.html
 |access-date=March 17, 2016
}}
</ref>
although the price remains relatively prohibitive for widespread public use. The efficiency of these lasers (peak 3%){{citation needed|date=August 2013}} compared to that of DPSS green lasers (peak 35%){{citation needed|date=August 2013}}<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last=Davarcioglu  |first=Burhan
 |date=December 2010
 |title=An overview of diode pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers
 |journal=International Archive of Applied Sciences and Technology
 |volume=1 |pages=1–12
 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Al_Timimi_Zahra/post/What_are_the_limtations_of_using_diode_laser_for_pumping_some_lasers/attachment/5d8ca3b93843b0b982663797/AS%3A807347454758914%401569498041146/download/1.pdf
 |via=researchgate.net
}}
</ref>
may also be limiting adoption of the diodes to niche uses.

=== Pigments, food coloring and fireworks ===
{{See also|Green pigments}}
[[File:Chicago River dyed green, focus on river.jpg|thumb|The [[Chicago River]] is dyed green every year to mark [[St. Patrick's Day]]]]
Many minerals provide [[pigment]]s which have been used in green paints and dyes over the centuries. Pigments, in this case, are minerals which reflect the color green, rather that emitting it through [[luminescent]] or [[phosphorescent]] qualities. The large number of green pigments makes it impossible to mention them all. Among the more notable green minerals, however is the [[emerald]], which is colored green by trace amounts of [[chromium]] and sometimes [[vanadium]].<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1=Hurlbut    |first1=Cornelius S. Jr
 |last2=Kammerling |first2=Robert C.
 |year=1991
 |title=Gemology
 |page=203
 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons
 |place=New York, NY
}}
</ref>
Chromium(III) oxide (Cr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>), is called [[Chromium(III) oxide|chrome green]], also called [[viridian]] or institutional green when used as a pigment.<ref name=Holleman-Wiberg-2001/> For many years, the source of [[amazonite]]'s color was a mystery. Widely thought to have been due to [[copper]] because copper compounds often have blue and green colors, the blue-green color is likely to be derived from small quantities of [[lead]] and water in the [[feldspar]].<ref>
{{cite journal
 | author1=Hoffmeister
 | author2=Rossman
 | year=1985
 | title=A spectroscopic study of irradiation coloring of amazonite; structurally hydrous, Pb-bearing feldspar
 | journal=[[American Mineralogist]]
 | volume=70 | pages=794–804
}}
</ref>
Copper is the source of the green color in [[malachite]] pigments, chemically known as basic [[copper(II) carbonate]].<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = Malachite
 | year = 2001
 | website = WebExhibits
 | url = http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/malachite.html
 | access-date = December 8, 2007
}}
</ref>

[[Verdigris]] is made by placing a plate or blade of copper, brass or bronze, slightly warmed, into a vat of fermenting wine, leaving it there for several weeks, and then scraping off and drying the green powder that forms on the metal. The process of making verdigris was described in ancient times by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]]. It was used by the Romans in the murals of Pompeii, and in Celtic medieval manuscripts as early as the 5th century AD. It produced a blue-green which no other pigment could imitate, but it had drawbacks: it was unstable, it could not resist dampness, it did not mix well with other colors, it could ruin other colors with which it came into contact, and it was [[toxic]]. [[Leonardo da Vinci]], in his treatise on painting, warned artists not to use it. It was widely used in miniature paintings in Europe and Persia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Its use largely ended in the late 19th century, when it was replaced by the safer and more stable [[chrome green]].{{sfn|Varichon|2000|pp=214–15}} Viridian, as described above, was [[patent]]ed in 1859. It became popular with painters, since, unlike other synthetic greens, it was stable and not toxic. [[Vincent van Gogh]] used it, along with [[Prussian blue]], to create a dark blue sky with a greenish tint in his painting ''[[Café Terrace at Night]]''.<ref name=Holleman-Wiberg-2001/>

[[Green earth]] is a natural pigment used since the time of the [[Roman Empire]]. It is composed of clay colored by [[iron oxide]], [[magnesium]], [[aluminum silicate]], or [[potassium]]. Large deposits were found in the South of France near [[Nice]], and in Italy around [[Verona]], on [[Cyprus]], and in [[Bohemia]]. The clay was crushed, washed to remove impurities, then powdered. It was sometimes called Green of Verona.{{sfn|Varichon|2000|pp=210–11}}

Mixtures of oxidized [[cobalt]] and [[zinc]] were also used to create green paints as early as the 18th century.<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = Cobalt green
 | year = 2001
 | website = WebExhibits
 | url = http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/cogreen.html
 | access-date = December 8, 2007
}}
</ref>

[[Cobalt green]], sometimes known as [[Cobalt green#Rinman's green|Rinman's green]] or zinc green, is a translucent green pigment made by heating a mixture of cobalt (II) oxide and zinc oxide. [[Sven Rinman]], a Swedish chemist, discovered this compound in 1780.<ref>
{{cite news
 |title = Green pigment spins chip promise
 |date = 9 August 2006
 |website = [[BBC News]]
 |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4776479.stm
}}
</ref>
Green chrome oxide was a new synthetic green created by a chemist named Pannetier in Paris in about 1835. Emerald green was a synthetic deep green made in the 19th century by hydrating chrome oxide. It was also known as Guignet green.<ref name=Holleman-Wiberg-2001>
{{cite book
 |first1=A.F. |last1=Holleman 
 |first2=E.   |last2=Wiberg
 |year=2001
 |title=Inorganic Chemistry
 |publisher=[[Academic Press]]
 |place=New York, NY
}}
</ref>

[[File:Fireworks 2.JPG|thumb|left|[[Fireworks]] typically use [[barium]] salts to create green sparks]]
There is no natural source for green [[food coloring]]s which has been approved by the US [[Food and Drug Administration]]. Chlorophyll, the [[E number]]s E140 and E141, is the most common green chemical found in nature, and only allowed in certain medicines and cosmetic materials.<ref>
{{cite magazine
 | first = Victoria | last = Gilman
 | date = 25 August 2003
 | title = Food coloring: Synthetic and natural additives impart a rainbow of possibilities to the foods we eat
 | magazine = [[Chemical & Engineering News]]
 | url = http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8134foodcoloring.html
 | access-date = December 8, 2007
}}
</ref>
[[Quinoline Yellow WS|Quinoline Yellow]] (E104) is a commonly used coloring in the United Kingdom but is banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States.<ref>
{{cite web
 | url = http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e104.htm
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030508004821/http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e104.htm
 | url-status = usurped
 | archive-date = May 8, 2003
 | title = E104 Quinoline Yellow, FD&C Yellow No.10
 | website = UK Food Guide
 | access-date = 9 December 2007
}}
</ref>
[[Green S]] (E142) is prohibited in many countries, for it is known to cause [[hyperactivity]], [[asthma]], [[urticaria]], and [[insomnia]].<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = E142 Green S
 | website = UK Food Guide
 | url = http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e142.htm
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030511014619/http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e142.htm
 | url-status = usurped
 | archive-date = May 11, 2003
 | access-date = 9 December 2007
}}
</ref>

To create green sparks, [[firework]]s use [[barium]] [[Salt (chemistry)|salts]], such as [[barium chlorate]], [[barium nitrate]] crystals, or [[barium chloride]], also used for green fireplace logs.<ref name=firework/> Copper salts typically burn blue, but [[cupric chloride]] (also known as "campfire blue") can also produce green flames.<ref name=firework/> Green pyrotechnic flares can use a mix ratio 75:25 of [[boron]] and [[potassium nitrate]].<ref name=firework/> Smoke can be turned green by a mixture: solvent yellow 33, solvent green 3, [[lactose]], [[magnesium carbonate]] plus [[sodium carbonate]] added to [[potassium chlorate]].<ref name=firework>
{{cite web
 | title = Firework Chemicals (list)
 | year = 2008
 | website = Sylighter
 | url=http://www.skylighter.com/mall/chemicals.asp
 | access-date=11 January 2008
}}
</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== Biology ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Plagiomnium affine laminazellen.jpeg|The chloroplasts of plant cells contain a high concentration of [[chlorophyll]], making them appear green.
File:Caerulea3 crop.jpg|[[Frog]]s often appear green because [[dermis|dermal]] [[iridophore]]s reflect blue light through a yellow upperlayer, filtering the light to be primarily green.
File:Yellow-naped Amazon.jpg|A yellow-naped Amazon [[parrot]], colored green for camouflage in the jungle
File:Anolis callainus 247244961.jpg|An [[Dactyloidae|Anole]] combines blue [[Structural coloration|structural color]] of [[Iridophore|iridiophores]] with a layered deposit of yellow [[carotenoid]] [[Pigment|pigments]] obtained from its diet to create the green color it uses for [[camouflage]]. 
File:Micrommata virescens (Arcugnano).jpg|The [[Micrommata virescens|green huntsman spider]] is green due to the presence of [[Bilin (biochemistry)|bilin]] pigments in the spider's [[hemolymph]] and [[Interstitial fluid|tissue fluids]] 
</gallery>
Green is common in nature, as many plants are green because of a complex chemical known as chlorophyll, which is involved in [[photosynthesis]]. Chlorophyll absorbs the long wavelengths of light (red) and short wavelengths of light (blue) much more efficiently than the wavelengths that appear green to the human eye, so light reflected by plants is enriched in green.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title = If the Sun's light peaks in the green, why do plants reflect green light?
 |website = Science Line
 |publisher = [[University of California, Santa Barbara|UC Santa Barbara]]
 | date = 2015
 |quote=... why do plants prefer to reflect green light? (giving them their green color) And in particular why do they prefer to absorb red light and with that not efficiently utilizing the sun's radiation?
 |url = http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=500
 |access-date = 4 September 2015
}}
</ref>
Chlorophyll absorbs green light poorly because it first arose in organisms living in oceans where purple [[halobacteria]] were already exploiting photosynthesis. Their purple color arose because they extracted energy in the green portion of the spectrum using [[bacteriorhodopsin]]. The new organisms that then later came to dominate the extraction of light were selected to exploit those portions of the spectrum not used by the halobacteria.<ref>
{{cite magazine
 |last=Goldsworthy |first=A.
 |date=10 December 1987
 |title=Why trees are green
 |magazine=[[New Scientist]]
 |volume=116 |issue=1880 |pages=48–52
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtI9MPk3oVkC&q=why+trees+are+green&pg=PA52
}}
</ref>

[[File:Mamba Dendroaspis angusticeps.jpg|alt=|thumb|A green [[mamba]] at the [[Hellabrunn Zoo]]]]
Animals typically use the color green as [[camouflage]], blending in with the chlorophyll green of the surrounding environment.<ref name=brit/> Most fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds appear green because of a [[reflection (physics)|reflection]] of blue light coming through an over-layer of yellow pigment. Perception of color can also be affected by the surrounding environment. For example, broadleaf forests typically have a yellow-green light about them as the trees filter the light. [[Turacoverdin]] is one chemical which can cause a green hue in birds, especially.<ref name=brit/> Invertebrates such as insects or mollusks often display green colors because of [[porphyrin]] pigments, sometimes caused by diet. This can causes their feces to look green as well. Other chemicals which generally contribute to greenness among organisms are [[flavins]] (lychochromes) and hemanovadin.<ref name = brit /> Humans have imitated this by wearing green clothing as a camouflage in military and other fields. Substances that may impart a greenish hue to one's skin include [[biliverdin]], the green pigment in [[bile]], and [[ceruloplasmin]], a [[protein]] that carries copper [[ion]]s in [[chelation]].

The [[Micrommata virescens|green huntsman spider]] is green due to the presence of bilin pigments in the spider's hemolymph (circulatory system fluids) and [[Interstitial fluid|tissue fluids]].<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Oxford    |first1=G.S.
 |last2=Gillespie |first2=R.G.
 |year=1998
 |title=Evolution and ecology of spider coloration
 |journal=[[Annual Review of Entomology]]
 |volume=43  |issue=1  |pages=619–643
 |doi=10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.619
 |pmid=15012400|s2cid=6963733
}}
</ref>
It hunts insects in green vegetation, where it is well camouflaged.

=== Green eyes ===
{{Main|Eye color#Green}}
There is no green pigment in green eyes; like the color of blue eyes, it is an optical illusion; its appearance is caused by the combination of an amber or light brown pigmentation of the [[Stroma of cornea|stroma]], given by a low or moderate concentration of [[melanin]], with the blue tone imparted by the [[Rayleigh scattering]] of the reflected light.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last=Fox |first=Denis Llewellyn
 |year=1979
 |title=Biochromy: Natural coloration of living things
 |publisher=University of California Press
 |isbn=0-520-03699-9
 |page=9
}}
</ref>
Nobody is brought into the world with green eyes. An infant has one of two eye hues: dark or blue. Following birth, cells called melanocytes start to discharge melanin, the earthy colored shade, in the child's irises. This begins happening since melanocytes respond to light in time.<ref>
{{Cite web
 |last=Brolley |first=Brittany
 |date=2019-04-19 |df=dmy-all
 |title=The truth about green eyes
 |website=TheList.com
 |url=https://www.thelist.com/150818/the-truth-about-green-eyes/
 |access-date=2020-08-12 |language=en-US
}}
</ref>
Green eyes are most common in [[Northern Europe|Northern]] and [[Central Europe]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Blue eyes versus brown eyes: A primer on eye color
 |website=Eyedoctorguide.com
 |url=http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/eye_general/eye_color.html
 |access-date=23 December 2011
 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208222443/http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/eye_general/eye_color.html
 |archive-date=8 December 2012
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Why do Europeans have so many hair and eye colors?
 |website=Cogweb.ucla.edu
 |publisher=[[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]
 |url=http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Frost_06.html
 |access-date=23 December 2011
}}
</ref>
They can also be found in [[Southern Europe]], [[West Asia]], [[Central Asia]], and [[South Asia]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} In [[Iceland]], 89% of women and 87% of men have either blue or green eye color.<ref name=Rafnsson>
{{cite journal
 |vauthors=Rafnsson V, Hrafnkelsson J, Tulinius H, Sigurgeirsson B, Olafsson JH
 |year=2004
 |title=Risk factors for malignant melanoma in an Icelandic population sample
 |journal=Prev Med
 |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=247–52
 |pmid=15226032 |doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.03.027
}}
</ref>
A study of Icelandic and Dutch adults found green eyes to be much more prevalent in women than in men.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |first1=Patrick  |last1=Sulem       |first2=Daniel F.   |last2=Gudbjartsson
 |first3=Simon N. |last3= Stacey     |first4=Agnar       |last4=Helgason
 |first5= Thorunn |last5=Rafnar      |first6=Kristinn P. |last6=Magnusson
 |display-authors=etal
 |date=December 2007
 |title=Genetic determinants of hair, eye, and skin pigmentation in Europeans
 |journal=Nature Genetics
 |volume=39  |issue=12 |pages=1443–1452
 |doi=10.1038/ng.2007.13
 |pmid=17952075 |s2cid=19313549 |url=https://uni.hi.is/apalsson/files/2011/10/PM_NG07.pdf
 |via=Anar Palsson / Háskóli Íslands ([[University of Iceland]] – uni.hi.is)
 |access-date=7 August 2012
}}
</ref>

== In history and art ==
===Prehistoric history===

[[Neolithic]] cave paintings do not have traces of green pigments, but neolithic peoples in northern Europe did make a green dye for clothing, made from the leaves of the [[birch]] tree. It was of very poor quality, more brown than green. Ceramics from ancient [[Mesopotamia]] show people wearing vivid green costumes, but it is not known how the colors were produced.<ref name="Anne Vachiron 2000 pg. 196">Anne Vachiron (2000), ''Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 196</ref>

=== Ancient history ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Gardens of Nakh 1.JPG|The gardens of ancient Egypt were symbols of rebirth. Tomb painting of the gardens of Amon at the temple of Karnak, from the tomb of Nakh, the chief gardener. Early 14th century BC.
Osiris-tomb-of-Nefertari.jpg|The Ancient Egyptian god [[Osiris]], ruler of the underworld and of rebirth and regeneration, was typically shown with a green face. (Tomb of [[Nefertari]], 1295–1253 BC)
Primavera di Stabiae.jpg|Ancient Roman fresco of Flora, or Spring, from [[Stabiae]] (2nd century AD)
Gorgan ceramic.JPG|Gorgan ceramic, Early 13th century
</gallery>

In [[Ancient Egypt]], green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile. For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus, Egyptian artists used finely ground [[malachite]], mined in the west Sinai and the eastern desert; a paintbox with malachite pigment was found inside the tomb of King [[Tutankhamun]]. They also used less expensive green earth pigment, or mixed yellow ochre and blue [[azurite]]. To dye fabrics green, they first colored them yellow with dye made from [[saffron]] and then soaked them in blue dye from the roots of the [[woad]] plant.<ref name="Anne Vachiron 2000 pg. 196" />

For the ancient Egyptians, green had very positive associations. The [[hieroglyph]] for green represented a growing [[papyrus]] sprout, showing the close connection between green, vegetation, vigor and growth. In wall paintings, the ruler of the underworld, [[Osiris]], was typically portrayed with a green face, because green was the symbol of good health and rebirth. Palettes of green facial makeup, made with malachite, were found in tombs. It was worn by both the living and the dead, particularly around the eyes, to protect them from evil. Tombs also often contained small green amulets in the shape of [[scarab beetles]] made of malachite, which would protect and give vigor to the deceased. It also symbolized the sea, which was called the "Very Green".<ref>Anne Vachiron (2000), ''Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 203</ref>

In Ancient Greece, green and blue were sometimes considered the same color, and the same word sometimes described the color of the sea and the color of trees. The philosopher [[Democritus]] described two different greens: {{Transliteration|grc|chloron}}, or pale green, and {{Transliteration|grc|prasinon}}, or [[leek]] green. [[Aristotle]] considered that green was located midway between black, symbolizing the earth, and white, symbolizing water. However, green was not counted among the four classic colors of Greek painting – red, yellow, black and white – and is rarely found in Greek art.{{sfn|Gage|1993|p=12}}

The Romans had a greater appreciation for the color green; it was the color of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]], the goddess of gardens, vegetables and vineyards. The Romans made a fine green earth pigment that was widely used in the wall paintings of [[Pompeii]], [[Herculaneum]], [[Lyon]], [[Vaison-la-Romaine]], and other Roman cities. They also used the pigment verdigris, made by soaking copper plates in fermenting wine.<ref>Anne Vachiron (2000), ''Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 214.</ref> By the second century AD, the Romans were using green in paintings, mosaics and glass, and there were ten different words in Latin for varieties of green.{{sfn|Gage|1993|pp=11–27}}

=== Postclassical history ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Van Eyck - Arnolfini Portrait.jpg|In the ''[[Arnolfini portrait]]'' by [[Jan van Eyck]] (1434), the rich green fabric of the dress showed the wealth and status of the family.
Duccio di Buoninsegna 068.jpg|[[Duccio di Buoninsegna]] painted the faces in this painting (1308–1311) with an undercoat of green earth pigment. The surface pink has faded, making the faces look green today.
Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched.jpg|The green costume of the ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' shows she was from the gentry, not from the nobility.
Michael Pacher 004.jpg|In the 15th century ''[[Saint Wolfgang]] and the Devil'' by [[Michael Pacher]], the [[Devil]] is green. Poets such as [[Chaucer]] also drew connections between the color green and the devil.<ref>Robertson, D. W. Jr. "Why the Devil Wears Green." ''Modern Language Notes.'' (Nov 1954) 69.7 pp. 470–72</ref>
Pietro Perugino cat67a.jpg|In this 1503 painting by [[Perugino]], malachite pigment was used to paint the bright green garments of the worshippers, while the background greens were painted in green earth pigments.
</gallery>

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the color of clothing showed a person's social rank and profession. Red could only be worn by the nobility, brown and gray by peasants, and green by merchants, bankers and the gentry and their families. The [[Mona Lisa]] wears green in her portrait, as does the bride in the Arnolfini portrait by [[Jan van Eyck]].

There were no good vegetal green dyes which resisted washing and sunlight for those who wanted or were required to wear green. Green dyes were made out of the [[fern]], [[Plantain (cooking)|plantain]], [[buckthorn]] berries, the juice of [[Urtica|nettles]] and of [[leeks]], the [[digitalis]] plant, the [[broom (shrub)|broom]] plant, the leaves of the [[fraxinus]], or ash tree, and the bark of the [[alder]] tree, but they rapidly faded or changed color. Only in the 16th century was a good green dye produced, by first dyeing the cloth blue with woad, and then yellow with ''[[Reseda luteola]]'', also known as yellow-weed.{{sfn|Varichon|2000|p=128}}

The pigments available to painters were more varied; monks in monasteries used verdigris, made by soaking copper in fermenting wine, to color medieval manuscripts. They also used finely-ground malachite, which made a luminous green. They used green earth colors for backgrounds.

During the early Renaissance, painters such as [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]] learned to paint faces first with a green undercoat, then with pink, which gave the faces a more realistic hue. Over the centuries the pink has faded, making some of the faces look green.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/antiquity.html|title=Pigments through the Ages - Antiquity|website=www.webexhibits.org}}</ref>

===Modern history===
==== In the 18th and 19th century ====

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
Constable DeadhamVale.jpg|''[[Dedham Vale (painting)|Dedham Vale]]'' (1802) by [[John Constable]]. The paintings of Constable romanticized the vivid green landscapes of England
Jean-Baptiste Debret - Coroação de D. Pedro I.jpg|In the painting of [[Jean-Baptiste Debret]] (1822), Emperor [[Pedro I of Brazil]] wearing the imperial mantle coated with green fabric.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot 010.jpg|In the paintings of [[Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot]] (1796–1875), the green of trees and nature became the central element of the painting, with the people secondary
Marie Bashkirtseff 2.jpg|''Spring'', by [[Marie Bashkirtseff]], 1884
Vincent Willem van Gogh 076.jpg|''[[The Night Café]]'', (1888), by [[Vincent van Gogh]], used red and green to express what Van Gogh called "the terrible human passions."
Émile Bernard - Still life with teapot, cup and fruit - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Émile Bernard (painter)|Émile Bernard]] – ''Still life with green teapot, cup and fruit'', 1890
Louis Anquetin - Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Louis Anquetin]] – ''Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night''
</gallery>

The 18th and 19th centuries brought the discovery and production of synthetic green pigments and dyes, which rapidly replaced the earlier mineral and vegetable pigments and dyes. These new dyes were more stable and brilliant than the vegetable dyes, but some contained high levels of [[arsenic]], and were eventually banned.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, green was associated with the [[romantic movement]] in literature and art.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Romantic Period|url=https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/british-literature-through-history/s06-the-romantic-period.html|access-date=2020-08-12|website=2012books.lardbucket.org}}</ref> The German poet and philosopher [[Goethe]] declared that green was the most restful color, suitable for decorating bedrooms. Painters such as [[John Constable]] and [[Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot]] depicted the lush green of rural landscapes and forests. Green was contrasted to the smoky grays and blacks of the Industrial Revolution.

The second half of the 19th century saw the use of green in art to create specific emotions, not just to imitate nature. One of the first to make color the central element of his picture was the American artist [[James McNeill Whistler]], who created a series of paintings called "symphonies" or "noctures" of color, including ''Symphony in gray and green; The Ocean'' between 1866 and 1872.

The late 19th century also brought the systematic study of color theory, and particularly the study of how complementary colors such as red and green reinforced each other when they were placed next to each other. These studies were avidly followed by artists such as [[Vincent van Gogh]]. Describing his painting, [[The Night Café|The ''Night Cafe'']], to his brother Theo in 1888, Van Gogh wrote: "I sought to express with red and green the terrible human passions. The hall is blood red and pale yellow, with a green billiard table in the center, and four lamps of lemon yellow, with rays of orange and green. Everywhere it is a battle and antithesis of the most different reds and greens."<ref>Vincent van Gogh, ''Corréspondénce general'', number 533, cited by John Gage, ''Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction''.</ref>

==== In the 20th and 21st century ====
In the 1980s, green became a political symbol, the color of the [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Green Party in Germany]] and in many other European countries. It symbolized the [[environmental movement]], and also a new politics of the left which rejected traditional socialism and communism. (See {{slink|Green|In politics|nopage=y}} section below.)

== Symbolism and associations ==
=== Safety and permission ===
[[File:LED traffic light.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.6|A green light is the universal symbol of permission to go]]

Green can communicate safety to proceed, as in [[traffic light]]s.<ref name = OED>Oxford English Dictionary</ref> Green and red were standardized as the colors of international railroad signals in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Aaron|title=The Reason Traffic Lights Are Red, Yellow, and Green|url=https://www.thrillist.com/cars/nation/traffic-light-colors-history|access-date=2020-10-20|website=Thrillist|date=October 6, 2016 }}</ref> The first traffic light, using green and red gas lamps, was erected in 1868 in front of the [[Houses of Parliament]] in London. It exploded the following year, injuring the policeman who operated it. In 1912, the first modern electric traffic lights were put up in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]. Red was chosen largely because of its high visibility, and its association with danger, while green was chosen largely because it could not be mistaken for red. Today green lights universally signal that a system is turned on and working as it should. In many video games, green signifies both [[Health (gaming)|health]] and completed objectives, opposite red.

=== Nature, vivacity, and life ===
Green is the color most commonly associated in Europe and the United States with nature, vivacity and life.<ref>Eva Heller (2000), ''Psychologie de la couleur – effets et symboliques'', pp. 90. 47 percent of respondents surveyed associated green with ''nature'' and ''natural'', 18 percent choosing white. 32 percent associated green with ''vivacity'' (20 percent chose yellow), and 40 percent with  ''good health'' (20 percent with red)</ref>
It is the color of many environmental organizations, such as [[Greenpeace]], and of the [[Green Parties]] in Europe. Many cities have designated a garden or park as a green space, and use green trash bins and containers. A green cross is commonly used to designate pharmacies in Europe.

In China, green is associated with the east, with sunrise, and with life and growth.<ref>Yoon, Hong-Key. ''The Culture of Feng-Shui in Korea.'' Lexington: Lexington Books, 2006. {{ISBN|0-7391-1348-8}} p. 27</ref> In Thailand, the color green is considered [[wikt:auspicious|auspicious]] for those born on a Wednesday (light green for those born at night).<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.usmta.com/Thai-Birthday.htm
 |title        = Thai birth day colors and buddha image
 |date         = October 16, 2004
 |publisher    = United States Muay Thai Association Inc
 |access-date  = November 14, 2009
 |quote        = An innovation of the Ayutthaya period.
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113135805/http://www.usmta.com/Thai-Birthday.htm
 |archive-date = January 13, 2010
 
 }}</ref>

=== Springtime, freshness, and hope ===
Green is the color most commonly associated in the United States and Europe with springtime, freshness, and hope.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=91–92}}{{efn|1= 62 percent of respondents surveyed associated green with ''springtime'', (18 percent choosing yellow); 27 percent associated green with ''freshness'' (24 percent choosing blue.)   48 percent associated green with ''hope'' (18 percent choosing blue){{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=91–92}} }} Green is often used to symbolize rebirth and renewal and immortality. In [[Ancient Egypt]]; the god [[Osiris]], king of the underworld, was depicted as green-skinned.<ref name="deVries76">{{cite book |last=de Vries |first=Ad |title=Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery |year=1976 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsymb0000vrie/page/226 226–28] |publisher=North-Holland Publishing Company |location=Amsterdam |isbn=978-0-7204-8021-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofsymb0000vrie/page/226 }}</ref> Green as the color of hope is connected with the color of springtime; hope represents the faith that things will improve after a period of difficulty, like the renewal of flowers and plants after the winter season.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=94}}

=== Youth and inexperience ===
Green the color most commonly associated in Europe and the United States with youth. It also often is used to describe anyone young, inexperienced, probably by the analogy to immature and unripe fruit.<ref name = diction>{{cite web| title =Results for "green"| website =Dictionary.com| publisher =Lexico Publishing Corp.| year =2007| url =http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/green| access-date = November 22, 2007}}</ref>{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=92}}{{efn|1= 22 percent of respondents surveyed associated green with ''youth'', (16 percent choosing yellow){{sfn|Heller|2009|p=92}} }} Examples include [[green cheese]], a term for a fresh, unaged cheese, and [[Cowboy#Symbolism|greenhorn]], an inexperienced person.

=== Food and diet ===
[[File:FSSAI new labels for veg and non-veg.svg|alt=Vegetarian symbol - square with green outline with green circle inside; New Non Vegetarian symbol - square with redish-brown outline with redish-brown triangle inside; Old Non Vegetarian symbol - square with redish-brown outline with redish-brown circle inside, not for human consumption symbol - square with black outline with black X inside|thumb|Indian FSSAI labels. The green dot symbol (top-left) identifies lacto-vegetarian food.]]The color green has been increasingly used by food companies, governments, and practitioners themselves to identify veganism and vegetarianism. The government of [[India]] requires food that is vegetarian to be marked with a green circle as part of the ''Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006'' with changes to symbolism since but still maintaining the color green. In 2021, India introduced a green V to exclusively label vegan options.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.veganfirst.com/article/fssai-introduces-vegan-logo-for-food-products-in-india | title=FSSAI Introduces Vegan Logo for Food Products in India }}</ref> In the west, the [[V-Label]], a green V designed by the [[European Vegetarian Union]], has been used by food distributors to label vegan and vegetarian options.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.v-label.eu/v-label/the-history-of-the-v-label | title=The history of the V-Label | date=November 6, 2018 }}</ref>

=== Calm, tolerance, and the agreeable ===
Surveys also show that green is the color most associated with the calm, the agreeable, and tolerance. Red is associated with heat, blue with cold, and green with an agreeable temperature. Red is associated with dry, blue with wet, and green, in the middle, with dampness. Red is the most active color, blue the most passive; green, in the middle, is the color of neutrality and calm, sometimes used in architecture and design for these reasons.{{efn|
For an example of the use of green in architecture, see the article on the [[Science Faculty building, UTS|University of Technology, Sydney Science Faculty building]].
}}
Blue and green together symbolize harmony and balance.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=90}} Experimental studies also show this calming effect in a statistical significant decrease of negative emotions<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last=Gruber |first=N.
 |year=2018
 |title=Green for hope and red for fear? Testing the color effect on the implicit achievement motive
 |journal=Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology
 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=1–6
 |doi=10.24913/rjap.20.1.01
|doi-access=free
 }}
</ref>
and increase of creative performance.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Lichtenfeld |first1=S.       |last2=Elliot |first2=A.J.
 |last3=Maier       |first3=M.A.     |last4=Pekrun |first4=R.
 |year=2012
 |title=Fertile green: Green facilitates creative performance
 |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
 |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=784–797
|doi=10.1177/0146167212436611 |pmid=22427383 |s2cid=13101980 |url=https://dro.dur.ac.uk/26129/1/26129.pdf }}
</ref>

=== Jealousy and envy ===
Green is often associated with [[jealousy]] and [[envy]]. The expression "green-eyed monster" was first used by [[William Shakespeare]] in [[Othello]]: "it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on." Shakespeare also used it in the [[Merchant of Venice]], speaking of "green-eyed jealousy".<ref name=hendrickson>{{cite book | last = Hendrickson | first = Robert | title = Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins | publisher = Facts on File Inc. | year = 1999 | page = [https://archive.org/details/factsonfileencyc00hend/page/6 6] | isbn = 978-0-8160-3266-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/factsonfileencyc00hend/page/6 }}</ref>

=== Love and sexuality ===
Green today is not commonly associated in Europe and the United States with love and sexuality,{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=42, 55}} but in stories of the [[Middle Ages|medieval period]] it sometimes represented love<ref name = span>Chamberlin, Vernon A. "Symbolic Green: A Time-Honored Characterizing Device in Spanish Literature." ''Hispania.'' 51.1 (Mar 1968) pp. 29–37</ref> and the base, natural desires of man.<ref>Goldhurst, William. "The Green and the Gold: The Major Theme of Gawain and the Green Knight." ''[[College English]].'' 20.2 (Nov 1958) pp. 61–65 {{doi|10.2307/372161}}</ref> It was the color of the [[Serpents in the Bible|serpent]] in the [[Garden of Eden]] who caused the downfall of [[Adam and Eve]]. However, for the [[troubadours]], green was the color of growing love, and light green clothing was reserved for young women who were not yet married.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=92–93}}

In Persian and Sudanese poetry, dark-skinned women, called "green" women, were considered erotic.<ref name="Greenness in the Field">Carla N. Daughtry, "[http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/MT/97/Fal97/mt14f97.html Greenness in the Field]", ''Michigan Today'', University of Michigan, Fall 1997 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602132807/http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/MT/97/Fal97/mt14f97.html |date=June 2, 2009 }}</ref> The Chinese term for [[cuckold]] is "to wear a green hat."<ref>{{cite book| last = Sommer| first = Matthew Harvey| title = Sex, Law, and Society in Late Imperial China| publisher = Stanford University Press| year = 2002| location = Stanford| page = 218| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=E6ClbegXuWUC| isbn = 978-0-8047-4559-8| access-date = July 27, 2008}}</ref> This was because in ancient China, prostitutes were called "the family of the green lantern" and a [[prostitute]]'s family would wear a green headscarf.{{sfn|Varichon|2000|p=205}}

In [[Victorian England]], the color green was associated with [[homosexuality]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pflagdetroit.org/story_of_the_rainbow_flag.htm | title=The Story of the Rainbow Flag | website=HALO Newsletter | access-date=January 23, 2016 | archive-date=January 29, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129230513/http://pflagdetroit.org/story_of_the_rainbow_flag.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Oscar Wilde]] popularized the green [[Dianthus caryophyllus|carnation]] as representing homosexuality. [[Gay men|Homosexual men]] would wear a green carnation to represent their sexuality after Oscar Wilde popularized it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Language of Pride |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/articles/the-language-of-pride?srsltid=AfmBOoo-Ak8PfiaptbNK7JjhFmenxIfohw99gH8W7jj_nzJKRjdEtW08&srsltid=AfmBOop4ni5iR68rjtlTulnVjHDsbpfC2TLqaDCiVVKs3PpCquEDo7ur |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=The Language of Pride |language=en}}</ref>

=== Dragons, fairies, monsters, and devils ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Michael Pacher 004.jpg|''[[Wolfgang of Regensburg|Saint Wolfgang]] and the Devil'', by [[Michael Pacher]]
Liber Floridus page scan A, ca. 1460.jpg|A medieval illustration of a dragon (1460)
Chinese draak.jpg|A Chinese [[dragon dance]]
Leprechaun ill artlibre jnl.png|A 20th-century depiction of a [[leprechaun]]
</gallery>

In legends, folk tales and films, [[fairies]], [[dragons]], [[monsters]], and the devil are often shown as green.

In the Middle Ages, the devil was usually shown as either red, black or green. Dragons were usually green, because they had the heads, claws and tails of reptiles.

Modern [[Chinese dragons]] are also often green, but unlike European dragons, they are benevolent; Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. The Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength. The [[dragon dance]] is a popular feature of Chinese festivals.

In [[Irish folklore|Irish]] and [[English folklore]], the color was sometimes associated with witchcraft, and with [[faeries]] and spirits.<ref name=evil>Williams, Margaret. ''The Pearl Poet, His Complete Works''. Random House, 1967.</ref><ref>[[Vance Randolph|Randolph, Vance]]. ''The Devil's Pretty Daughter''. Columbia University Press, 1955. p. 215.</ref><ref>Hulbert, J. R. "[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924062186329&view=1up&seq=468&skin=2021&q1=%22green%20man%22 Syr Gawayn and the Grene Knyʒt]". In: ''Modern philology'' Vol. 13 (1915/16). p. 456.</ref> The type of Irish fairy known as a [[leprechaun]] is commonly portrayed wearing a green suit, though before the 20th century he was usually described as wearing a red suit.

In theater and film, green was often connected with monsters and the inhuman. The earliest films of Frankenstein were in black and white, but in the poster for the 1935 version ''[[The Bride of Frankenstein]]'', the monster had a green face. Actor [[Bela Lugosi]] wore green-hued makeup for the role of [[Dracula]] in the 1927–1928 Broadway stage production.<ref>{{cite book| last = Skal | first= David J. |year = 1990| title = Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen| page = 85 | publisher = Andre Deutch| isbn= 978-0-233-98766-8}}</ref><ref>''Why The Devil Wears Green'', D. W. Robertson, Jr., Modern Language Notes, Vol. 69, No. 7. (Nov. 1954), pp. 470–72. The Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref>

=== Poison and sickness ===
Like other common colors, green has several completely opposite associations. While it is the color most associated by Europeans and Americans with good health, it is also the color most often associated with [[toxicity]] and poison. There was a solid foundation for this association; in the nineteenth century several popular paints and pigments, notably verdigris, vert de Schweinfurt and vert de Paris, were highly toxic, containing copper or arsenic.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=96}}{{efn|1=In a survey cited, 45 percent of respondents associated green with toxicity, while 20 percent associated yellow.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=96}} }} The intoxicating drink [[absinthe]] was known as "the green fairy".

A green tinge in the skin is sometimes associated with nausea and sickness.<ref>Ford, Mark. Self Improvement of Relationship Skills through Body Language. City: Llumina Press, 2004. {{ISBN|1-932303-79-0}} p. 81</ref> The expression 'green at the gills' means appearing sick. The color, when combined with gold, is sometimes seen as representing the fading of youth.<ref>Lewis, John S. "Gawain and the Green Knight." ''College English.'' 21.1 (Oct 1959) pp. 50–51</ref> In some Far East cultures the color green is used as a symbol of sickness or nausea.<ref>Kalb, Ira. ''Creating Your Own Marketing Makes Good $ & Sense.'' K & A Press, 1989. {{ISBN|0-924050-01-2}} p. 210</ref>

=== Social status, prosperity and the dollar ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
Hybrid Commons Chamber Rehearsal (D).jpg|The green benches in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]
United States one dollar bill, reverse.jpg|The reverse of the [[United States one-dollar bill]] has been green since 1861, giving it the popular name greenback.
</gallery>

Green in Europe and the United States is sometimes associated with status and prosperity. From the Middle Ages to the 19th century it was often worn by bankers, merchants country gentlemen and others who were wealthy but not members of the nobility. The benches in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]], where the landed gentry sat, are colored green.

In the United States green was connected with the dollar bill. Since 1861, the reverse side of the dollar bill has been green. Green was originally chosen because it deterred counterfeiters, who tried to use early camera equipment to duplicate banknotes. Also, since the banknotes were thin, the green on the back did not show through and muddle the pictures on the front of the banknote. Green continues to be used because the public now associates it with a strong and stable currency.<ref>"Currency Notes" on the website of the U.S. [[Bureau of Engraving and Printing]], p. 12.</ref>

One of the more notable uses of this meaning is found in ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''. The [[Emerald City]] in this story is a place where everyone wears tinted glasses that make everything appear green. According to the populist interpretation of the story, the city's color is used by the author, [[L. Frank Baum]], to illustrate the financial system of America in his day, as he lived in a time when America was debating the use of paper money versus gold.<ref>Carruthers, Bruce G.; Sarah Babb. "The Color of Money and the Nature of Value: Greenbacks and Gold in Postbellum America." ''The American Journal of Sociology.'' (May 1996) 101.6 pp. 1556–91</ref>

== On flags ==
{{See also|Green flag}}
{{gallery|mode=packed|height=100
|File:Flag of Italy.svg|The [[flag of Italy]] (1797) was modeled after the flag of France. It was originally the flag of the [[Cisalpine Republic]], and the green came from the uniforms of the army of Milan.
|File:Flag of Brazil.svg|The [[flag of Brazil]] (1889). The green color was inherited from the flag of the [[Empire of Brazil]], where it represented the color of the [[House of Braganza]].
|File:Flag of Lithuania.svg|The [[flag of Lithuania]] (1918). The green represents the beauty of nature, freedom and hope.
|File:Flag of Ireland.svg|The [[flag of Ireland]] (1919). The green represents the culture and traditions of [[Gaelic Ireland]].<ref name="Irish Government">{{Cite web|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf%20files/The%20National%20Flag.pdf|title=Taoiseach.gov.ie|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-date=June 15, 2007|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070615135038/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf%20files/The%20National%20Flag.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Youth_Zone/About_the_Constitution,_Flag,_Anthem_Harp/National_Flag.html 'National Flag'] Department of the Taoiseach "Youth Zone" web page. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401133542/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Youth_Zone/About_the_Constitution,_Flag,_Anthem_Harp/National_Flag.html |date=April 1, 2012 }}</ref>
|File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg|The [[Flag of Saudi Arabia]] (1932) has the green color of [[Islam]]. The inscription in Arabic says: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet."
|File:Flag of India.svg|The [[flag of India]] (1947). The green has been said at different times to represent hope, or prosperity.
|File:Flag of Pakistan.svg|The [[flag of Pakistan]] (1947). The green part represents the Muslim majority of the country.
|File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg|The [[flag of Bangladesh]] (1971). The green field stands for the [[lushness]] of the land of [[Bangladesh]]
|File:Flag of Nigeria.svg|The [[flag of Nigeria]] (1960). The green represents the forests and natural wealth of the country.
|File:Flag of Jamaica.svg|The [[flag of Jamaica]] (1962). The green represents the lush vegetation of the country, as well as hope.
|File:Flag of South Africa.svg|The [[flag of South Africa]] (1994) includes green, yellow and black, the colors of the [[African National Congress]].
|File:Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg|The former [[flag of Libya]] (1977–2011) was the only flag in the world with a single color and no design or details.
}}
* The [[flag of Italy]] (1797) was modeled after the French tricolor. It was originally the flag of the Cisalpine Republic, whose capital was [[Milan]]; red and white were the colors of Milan, and green was the color of the military uniforms of the army of the Cisalpine Republic. Other versions say it is the color of the Italian landscape, or symbolizes hope.<ref>''Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana'' nº 174 del 28 luglio 2006.</ref>
* The [[flag of Brazil]] has a green field adapted from the flag of the Empire of Brazil. The green represented the royal family.
* The [[flag of India]] was inspired by an earlier flag of the independence movement of [[Gandhi]], which had a red band for Hinduism and a green band representing Islam, the second largest religion in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/in.html|title=India|access-date= October 11, 2006|last=Heimer|first=Željko|date=July 2, 2006|website=Flags of the World}}</ref>
* The flag of Pakistan symbolizes Pakistan's commitment to Islam and equal rights of religious minorities where the larger portion (3:2 ratio) of flag is dark green representing Muslim majority (98% of total population) while a white vertical bar (3:1 ratio) at the mast representing equal rights for religious minorities and minority religions in country. The crescent and star symbolizes progress and bright future respectively.
* The flag of Bangladesh has a green field based on a similar flag used during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] of 1971. It consists of a red disc on top of a green field. The red disc represents the sun rising over [[Bengal]], and also the blood of those who died for the independence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh.
* The flag of the international [[constructed language]] [[Esperanto]] has a green field and a green star in a white area. The green represents hope (''"esperanto"'' means "one who hopes"), the white represents peace and neutrality and the star represents the five inhabited continents.

Green is one of the three colors (along with red and black, or red and gold) of [[Pan-Africanism]]. Several African countries thus use the color on their flags, including [[Nigeria]], [[South Africa]], [[Ghana]], [[Senegal]], [[Mali]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Togo]], [[Guinea]], [[Benin]], and [[Zimbabwe]]. The [[Pan-African colours|Pan-African colors]] are borrowed from the [[Flag of Ethiopia|Ethiopian flag]], one of the oldest independent African countries. Green on some African flags represents the natural richness of Africa.<ref>Murrell, Nathaniel et al. ''Chanting down Babylon.'' Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1-56639-584-4}} p. 135</ref>

Many flags of the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]] are green, as the color is considered sacred in Islam (see below). The flag of [[Hamas]],<ref>Friedland, Roger and Richard Hecht. ''To Rule Jerusalem.'' Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-520-22092-7}} p. 461</ref> as well as the [[flag of Iran]], is green, symbolizing their [[Islamism|Islamist]] ideology.<ref>Kaplan, Leslie C. ''Iran.'' {{ISBN|1-4042-5548-6}} p. 22</ref> The 1977 flag of Libya consisted of a simple green field with no other characteristics. It was the only national flag in the world with just one color and no design, insignia, or other details.<ref>Symons, Mitchell. ''This Book...of More Perfectly Useless Information.'' New York: HarperEntertainment, 2005. {{ISBN|0-06-082823-4}} p. 229</ref> Some countries used green in their flags to represent their country's lush vegetation, as in the [[flag of Jamaica]],<ref>Smith, Whitney. ''Flag Lore of All Nations.'' Brookfield: Millbrook Press, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7613-1753-8}} p. 49</ref> and hope in the future, as in the flags of [[flag of Portugal|Portugal]] and Nigeria.<ref>Amienyi, Osabuohien. ''Communicating National Integration.'' Ashgate Publishing, 2005. {{ISBN|0-7546-4425-1}} p. 43</ref> The green [[Cedrus libani|cedar]] of Lebanon tree on the Flag of Lebanon officially represents steadiness and tolerance.<ref name="Flag">{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.gov.lb/presidency/symbols/flag/flag.htm |title=The symbols of the republic|access-date=April 16, 2008|website=Lebanese Presidency Official Site |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071223141711/http://www.presidency.gov.lb/presidency/symbols/flag/flag.htm  |archive-date = December 23, 2007}}</ref>
{{Wikisource|The Wearing of the Green}}

Green is a symbol of Ireland, which is often referred to as the "Emerald Isle". The color is particularly identified with the [[Fianna Fáil|republican]] and [[nationalist]] traditions in modern times. It is used this way on the flag of the [[Republic of Ireland]], in balance with white and the Protestant orange.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guidelines for Use of the National Flag |publisher=Irish Government |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/adc448-the-national-flag/ |format=RTF |access-date=December 11, 2006 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Green is a strong trend in the Irish holiday [[Saint Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day]].<ref>{{cite web| title =The History of St. Patrick's Day| publisher =OttawaPlus| year =2007| url =http://www.ottawaplus.ca/feature/st_patrick/103/history_lore.jsp| access-date = November 22, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071214124659/http://www.ottawaplus.ca/feature/st_patrick/103/history_lore.jsp |archive-date = December 14, 2007}}</ref>

== In politics ==
{{See also|Green politics}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg|The [[green harp flag]] was the banner of Irish nationalism from the 17th century until the early 20th century.
AustralianGreensLogo official.svg|The emblem of the [[Australian Greens]]. The party won 12.7% of the primary vote in the [[2022 Australian federal election|2022 election]] for the Australian Senate.
Manif EPR Lyon Bellecour Verts.jpg|A demonstration by [[Europe Écologie–The Greens|Les Verts]], the green party of France, in Lyon.
Greenpeace Rainbow warrior 2.jpg|The ''[[Rainbow Warrior (2011)|Rainbow Warrior]]'', the ship of the [[Greenpeace]] environmental movement.
Logo Partai Bulan Bintang.svg|The logo of the [[Crescent Star Party (Indonesia)|Crescent Star Party]] uses [[star and crescent]] symbol with green background.
</gallery>
The first recorded green party was [[Greens (Byzantine Empire)|a political faction]] in [[Constantinople]] during the 6th century [[Byzantine Empire]]. which took its name from a popular [[chariot racing]] team. They were bitter opponents of the [[Blues (Byzantine Empire)|blue faction]], which supported Emperor [[Justinian I]] and which had its own chariot racing team. In 532 AD rioting between the factions began after one race, which led to the massacre of green supporters and the destruction of much of the center of Constantinople.<ref name="Edward Gibbon 1960, pg. 553-559">Edward Gibbon, ''The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', Abridgement of D.M. Low, Harcourt Brace and Company, 1960, pp. 553–59</ref> (See [[Nika Riots]]).

Green was the traditional color of [[Irish nationalism]], beginning in the 17th century. The green harp flag, with a traditional [[gaelic harp]], became the symbol of the movement. It was the banner of the [[Society of United Irishmen]], which organized the ultimately unsuccessful [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]. When Ireland achieved independence in 1922, green was incorporated into the [[Flag of Ireland|national flag]].<ref name=History>{{cite web|url = https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/adc448-the-national-flag/| publisher = Department of the Taoiseach| website = gov.ie | title = The National Flag | date = 1 November 2018 | access-date = 13 February 2020 }}</ref>

In the 1970s, green became the color of the third biggest Swiss Federal Council political party, the [[Swiss People's Party]] SVP. The ideology is Swiss nationalism, national conservatism, right-wing populism, economic liberalism, agrarianism, isolationism, euroscepticism. The SVP was founded on September 22, 1971, and has 90,000 members.<ref>[http://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentation/02070/index.html?lang=de&download=NHzLpZeg7t,lnp6I0NTU042l2Z6ln1acy4Zn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCIdX54gWym162epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn6A--]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809190734/http://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentation/02070/index.html?lang=de&download=NHzLpZeg7t%2Clnp6I0NTU042l2Z6ln1acy4Zn4Z2qZpnO2Yuq2Z6gpJCIdX54gWym162epYbg2c_JjKbNoKSn6A--|date=August 9, 2014}}</ref>

In the 1980s, green became the color of a number of new European political parties organized around an agenda of [[environmentalism]]. Green was chosen for its association with nature, health, and growth. The largest green party in Europe is Alliance '90/The Greens (German: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) in Germany, which was formed in 1993 from the merger of the German Green Party, founded in West Germany in 1980, and Alliance 90, founded during the Revolution of 1989–1990 in East Germany. In the 2009 federal elections, the party won 11% of the votes and 68 out of 622 seats in the [[Bundestag]].

Green parties in Europe have programs based on [[ecology movement|ecology]], [[grassroots democracy]], [[nonviolence]], and [[social justice]]. Green parties are found in over one hundred countries, and most are members of the [[Global Greens|Global Green Network]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Greens Charter|publisher=Global Greens Conference|year=2001|url=http://www.global.greens.org.au/charter.htm|access-date=November 22, 2007|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071012081813/http://www.global.greens.org.au/charter.htm|archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>

[[Greenpeace]] is a non-governmental environmental organization which emerged from the anti-nuclear and peace movements in the 1970s. Its ship, the [[Rainbow Warrior (2011)|Rainbow Warrior]], frequently tried to interfere with nuclear tests and whaling operations. The movement now has branches in forty countries.

The [[Australian Greens]] was founded in 1992. In the 2010 federal election, the party received 13% of the vote (more than 1.6 million votes) in the Senate, a first for any Australian minor party.

Green is the color associated with [[Puerto Rico]]'s [[Puerto Rican Independence Party|Independence Party]], the smallest of that country's three major political parties, which advocates Puerto Rican independence from the United States.

In [[Indonesia]], green is used by several [[Islamism|Islamist]] political party, including [[National Awakening Party]], [[Crescent Star Party (Indonesia)|Crescent Star Party]], [[United Development Party]], and the local [[Aceh Just and Prosperous Party]].

In [[Taiwan]], green is used by [[Democratic Progressive Party]]. Green in Taiwan associates with [[Taiwan independence movement]].

== In religion ==
{{See also|Green in Islam}}

Green is the traditional color of Islam. According to tradition, the robe and banner of [[Muhammad]] were green, and according to the [[Koran]] (XVIII, 31 and LXXVI, 21) those fortunate enough to live in paradise wear green silk robes.<ref name = Islam>{{cite web| last =Khalifa| first =Rashad (trans)| title =Sura 76, The Human (Al-Insaan)| website =Quran The Final Testament| url =http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/noframes/ch76.html#21| access-date = November 30, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="John Gage 2006 page 150-151">John Gage (2006), La Couleur dans l'art, pp. 150–51</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Khalifa| first =Rashad (trans)| title =Sura 18, The Cave (Al-Kahf)| website =Quran The Final Testament| publisher =masjidtuscon| url =http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/noframes/ch18.html#31| access-date = November 30, 2007 }}</ref> Muhammad is quoted in a [[hadith]] as saying that "water, greenery, and a beautiful face" were three universally good things.<ref>{{cite web| last = Wilson| first = Peter Lamborn| title = Cloud papers for Philip Taaffe| url = http://www.philiptaaffe.info/Critical_Commentary/PLW.php| access-date = November 30, 2007| archive-date = December 9, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071209175925/http://www.philiptaaffe.info/Critical_Commentary/PLW.php| url-status = dead}}</ref> Green was accordingly adopted as a [[Shi'a]] color.<ref name="EI2">{{EI2|last=David-Weill|first=J.|title=ʿAlam|volume=1|page=349|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0497}}</ref>

[[Al-Khidr]] ("The Green One"), was an important [[Qur'an]]ic figure who was said to have met and traveled with [[Moses]].<ref>{{cite web| last =Catherine| first =David| title =Al-Khidr, The Green Man| url =http://khidr.org/| access-date = November 30, 2007 }}</ref> He was given that name because of his role as a diplomat and negotiator. Green was also considered to be the median color between light and obscurity.<ref name="John Gage 2006 page 150-151" />

In [[Christianity]], especially [[Roman Catholic]] and more traditional [[Protestant]] clergy wear green [[vestments]] at liturgical celebrations during [[Ordinary Time]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Diocese of The British Isles and Europe |publisher=Anglican Independent Communion |url=http://www.aic.btik.com/p_Campaign.ikml |access-date=November 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129223749/http://www.aic.btik.com/p_Campaign.ikml |archive-date=November 29, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[Eastern Catholic Church]], green is the color of [[Pentecost]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Liturgical Vestment Colors of the Orthodox Church |year=2004 |url=http://aggreen.net/vestment/liturgical_colors.html |access-date=November 30, 2007  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222125111/http://aggreen.net/vestment/liturgical_colors.html |archive-date=December 22, 2007 }}</ref> Green is one of the [[Christmas]] colors as well, possibly dating back to pre-Christian times, when evergreens were worshiped for their ability to maintain their color through the winter season. Romans used green [[holly]] and [[evergreen]] as decorations for their [[winter solstice]] celebration called [[Saturnalia]], which eventually evolved into a Christmas celebration.<ref>Collins, Ace and Clint Hansen. Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. {{ISBN|0-310-24880-9}} p. 77</ref> In Ireland and [[Scotland]] especially, green is used to represent Catholics, while [[orange (color)|orange]] is used to represent [[Protestantism]]. This is shown on the national flag of Ireland.

In [[Paganism]], green represents abundance, growth, wealth, renewal, and balance. In [[Magic (supernatural)|magickal]] practices, green is often used to bring money and luck.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Magical Properties of Colors|url=https://wiccaliving.com/magical-properties-colors/|access-date=2021-01-28|website=Wicca Living|language=en-US}}</ref> One figure who shares parallels with various deities is the [[Green Man]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baring|first1=Anne|last2=Cashford|first2=Jules|title=The Myth of the Goddess|year=1991|publisher=Penguin|location=London|isbn=0-14-019292-1|pages=411–2}}</ref>

== In gambling and sports ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Judo newaza.jpg|A green belt in [[judo]].
Baccara Palette.jpg|A [[Baccarat (card game)|baccarat]] palette and cards on a [[casino]] gambling table.
1929 Birkin Blower Bentley (Ralph Lauren's) at Lime Rock 2014.jpg|A 1929 [[Bentley]] colored [[British racing green]].
Jean Béraud Le Billard.jpg|A [[billiards]] table, colored green after the lawns where the ancestors of the game were originally played.
</gallery>

* [[Gambling]] tables in a [[casino]] are traditionally green. The tradition is said to have started in gambling rooms in [[Venice]] in the 16th century.<ref>* {{cite book
|last= Pastoureau
|first= Michel
|title= Le petit livre des couleurs
|year=2005
|publisher=Editions du Panama
|page=66
|isbn= 978-2-7578-0310-3}}</ref>
* [[Billiards tables]] are traditionally covered with green woolen cloth. The first indoor tables, dating to the 15th century, were colored green after the grass courts used for the similar lawn games of the period.<ref>{{cite book
|title=The History of Snooker and Billiards
|last=Everton
|first=Clive
|author-link=Clive Everton
|location=[[Haywards Heath]], UK
|publisher=[[Transworld (company)|Partridge Pr]]
|pages=8–11
|year=1986
|edition=rev. ver. of ''The Story of Billiards and Snooker'', 1979
|isbn=978-1-85225-013-3
}}</ref>
* Green was the traditional color worn by hunters in the 19th century, particularly the shade called [[hunter green]]. In the 20th century most hunters began wearing the color [[olive drab]], a shade of green, instead of hunter green.<ref>Maerz and Paul (1930). ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York: McGraw-Hill p. 162 – Discussion of color Hunter Green</ref>
* Green is a common color for sports teams. Well-known teams include [[A.S. Saint-Étienne]] of France, known as ''Les Verts'' (The Greens). The [[Green Bay Packers]], an [[American football]] team, has the color in its official name and wears green uniforms. The [[NBA]] basketball team [[Boston Celtics]] is known for the green and white colors. In [[Israel]], the green and white colors are identified with [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.]], a successful football club known as "The Greens". A number of national soccer teams feature the color, with the color usually reflective of the teams' national flag.
* [[British racing green]] was the international motor racing color of Britain from the early 1900s until the 1960s, when it was replaced by the colors of the sponsoring automobile companies.
* A green belt in [[karate]], [[taekwondo]], and [[judo]] symbolizes a level of proficiency in the sport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@stefanogiovannihala/understanding-the-meaning-of-karate-belts-colors-648248d8a630|title=Understanding the Meaning of Karate Belt Colors|date=May 7, 2018|last=Stefano|first=Giovanni|website=Medium.com|access-date=March 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pmaa.ca/taekwondo/training-information/taekwondo-belt-meanings/|title=Taekwondo Belt Meanings - Precision Martial Arts Academy|website=PMAA.ca|access-date=March 14, 2021|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418050835/https://pmaa.ca/taekwondo/training-information/taekwondo-belt-meanings/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dcjudo.com/why-belt-rank-matters/|title=Why Belt Rank Matters {{!}} DC JUDO|website=dcjudo.com|date=December 12, 2012|access-date=March 14, 2021}}</ref>

== Idioms and expressions ==
* '''Having a green thumb''' (American English) or '''green fingers''' (British English). To be passionate about or talented at gardening.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary]] |title=Green fingers |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/green-fingers |access-date=28 May 2019}}</ref> The expression was popularized beginning in 1925 by a BBC gardening program.<ref name=hendrickson />
* '''Greenhorn'''. Someone who is inexperienced.
* '''Green-eyed monster'''. Refers to jealousy. (See section above on jealousy and envy).
* '''Greenmail'''. A term used in finance and corporate takeovers. It refers to the practice of a company paying a high price to buy back shares of its own stock to prevent an unfriendly takeover by another company or businessman. It originated in the 1980s on [[Wall Street]], and originates from the green of dollars.<ref name=hendrickson />
* '''Green room'''. A room at a theater where actors rest when not onstage, or a room at a television studio where guests wait before going on-camera. It originated in the late 17th century from a room of that color at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] in London.<ref name=hendrickson />
* '''[[Greenwashing]]'''. Environmental activists sometimes use this term to describe the advertising of a company that promotes its positive environmental practices to cover up its environmental destruction.<ref>{{cite web|publisher = [[Four Green Steps]]|author = Salley, Danielle|title= Greenwashing: The Eco-Frenemy|url = http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/featured/features/greenwashing-the-eco-frenemy| date=August 19, 2010 }}</ref>
* '''Green around the gills'''. A description of a person who looks physically ill.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary''</ref>
* '''Going green'''. An expression commonly used to refer to preserving the natural environment, and participating in activities such as recycling materials.
* '''Looking green'''. A description of a person who looks revolted or repulsed.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Arts|Chemistry|Gardening}}
*[[Shades of green]]
*[[Green pigments]]
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Cited texts ===
* {{cite book
|last= Heller
|first= Eva
|title= Psychologie de la couleur – Effets et symboliques
|year=2009
|publisher=Pyramyd (French translation)
|isbn= 978-2-35017-156-2}}
* {{cite book
|last= Gage
|first= John
|title= Colour and Culture – Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction
|url= https://archive.org/details/colourculturepra0000gage
|url-access= registration
|year=1993
|publisher=Thames and Hudson (Page numbers cited from French translation)
|isbn= 978-2-87811-295-5}}
* {{cite book
|last= Gage
|first= John
|title= La Couleur dans l'art
|year=2006
|publisher=Thames and Hudson
|isbn= 978-2-87811-325-9}}
* {{cite book
|last= Varichon
|first= Anne
|title= Couleurs – pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples
|year=2000
|publisher=Seuil
|isbn= 978-2-02084697-4}}
* {{cite journal
|last= Lichtenfeld
|first= Stephanie
|title= Fertile Green: Green Facilitates Creative Performance 
|year=2012
|volume= 38
|issue= 6
|pages= 784–97
|journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin|doi= 10.1177/0146167212436611
|pmid= 22427383
|s2cid= 13101980
|url= http://dro.dur.ac.uk/26129/1/26129.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428022135/http://dro.dur.ac.uk/26129/1/26129.pdf |archive-date=2019-04-28 |url-status=live
}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110828174850/http://www.life.com/gallery/49191/green-all-over Green All Over]—slideshow by [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]]

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{{web colors}}
{{Shades of green}}
{{Shades of cyan}}
{{Color topics}}

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[[Category:Shades of green| ]]
[[Category:Optical spectrum]]
[[Category:Primary colors]]
[[Category:Rainbow colors]]
[[Category:Secondary colors]]
[[Category:Web colors]]