Celadon

Word of the Day for Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Celadon \SEL-uh-don\, noun:

1. A pale gray-green.
2. Any of several Chinese porcelains having a translucent, pale green glaze.
3. Any porcelain imitating these.

adjective:
1. Having the color celadon.

The detail was striking and the cream, salmon, and celadon of the offset colors realistic, if slightly dated.
-- David Foster Wallace, The Pale King

Far out, the bay had a glaze like celadon.
-- Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

The word celadon stems from the name of a character in the 1610 book L'Astrée by Honoré d'Urfé. The character Céladon was a sentimental lover who wore bright green clothes. 

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com