Lingthusiasm - A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics 114: Begonia, average coral, and sea pink - Defining colour terms with Kory Stamper
Mar 20, 2026
Kory Stamper, lexicographer and author who spent years at Merriam-Webster, guides a romp through mid-20th-century quests to pin down color names. They explore odd labels like begonia, average coral, and sea pink. Conversations jump from archival detective work and color-measurement labs to the tension between scientific standards and everyday perception.
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Proofreading Sparked A Color Mystery
- Kory Stamper discovered whimsical, interlinked color definitions like begonia that referenced other obscure names while proofreading Webster's Third.
- She followed chains (begonia → average coral → sea pink) and was baffled by unexpected names like fiesta and gaiety, which sparked her research.
A Single Contributor Underpinned Many Color Entries
- Kory traced many Webster's Third color entries to a single contributor named I.H. Godlove in the dictionary's card‑slip archives.
- The name led her into consultant files and revealed Godlove as the physical chemist who influenced many color definitions.
Color Science Bridged Dye Work And Illumination Standards
- I.H. Godlove combined dye, optics, and illumination expertise to make color definitions that bridged lab measurement and everyday description.
- His work on 'daylight 65' and dye measurement shaped how colors were standardized for the dictionary.
