Meaning

noun a primary subtractive color for light; has a blue-green color

adjective of a bluish shade of green

originLearned borrowing from Ancient Greek κύανος (kúanos), a shade of blue variously described as similar to cornflower, copper carbonate, and lapis lazuli, Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀷𐀜 (ku-wa-no), possibly from Hittite [script needed] (kuwannan-, “a precious stone; copper; shade of blue”). Compare modern Greek κυανός (kyanós), also used for cyan.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0