Citrine is a colour, the most common reference for which is certain coloured varieties of quartz which are a medium deep shade of golden yellow. Citrine has been summarized at various times as yellow, greenish-yellow, brownish yellow or orange.Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill--Discussion of the color Citrine Page 154
The original reference point for the citrine colour was the citron fruit. The first recorded use of citrine as a colour in English was in 1386.Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Citrine: Page 51 Plate 14 Color Sample L6 (The colour identified as "Citrine" in this colour sample matches the colour in the colour display above.) It was borrowed from a medieval Latin and classical Latin word with the same meaning. In late medieval and early modern English the citrine colour-name was applied in a wider variety of contexts than it is today and could be "reddish or brownish yellow; or orange; or amber (distinguished from yellow)"."Citrine" in the Middle English Dictionary (late medieval English).
In today's English citrine as a colour is mostly confined to the contexts of (1) gemstones, including quartz, and (2) some animal and plant names. E.g., the citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola), an Asian bird species with golden-yellow plumage, or the citrine warbler, citrine canary-flycatcher, citrine forktail, etc.
See also List of colours
References
External links
Jewelry and Gemstone Glossary of Terms: Citrine