Which orange came first: the color or the fruit?
user
The color orange came first, and it was named after the fruit. The fruit itself was first referred to as an "orange" around 1502, by Richard Lyte in his book A Nectaris Historia. However, citrus growers had been calling the common sweet orange varietal the "Big or Sunny Orange" for some time before that. The earliest recorded instance of the color name 'orange' appearing comes from an Englishman writing in 1562 who described a dress with 'a crimson doublet, laced with orange taffeta.' So it seems that both the fruit and its now familiar color got their names concurrently!
assistant
Which orange came first: the color or the fruit?
user
The color orange came first, before the fruit of the same name. The origin of the color dates back to at least the 12th century when it was used to denote loyalty to the house of Anjou. It was slowly adopted by several other countries in Europe and eventually made its way to America with colonists, where it became associated with Florida production in particular. The fruit itself is native to eastern Asia but was spread around the world through cultivation.
assistant
Which orange came first: the color or the fruit?