Is orange the fruit named after the colour, or is the colour named after the fruit?
This is a very interesting answer which I have wondered myself! The color is in fact named after the fruit: ‘Before the English-speaking world was exposed to the fruit, the color was referred to as geoluhread in Old English, which translates roughly into Modern English as yellow-red (pronounced the same).’ For the fruit: The word “orange” ultimately comes from Sanskrit narang. Oranges originated in southeast Asia, in either India, Pakistan, Vietnam or southern China. The fruit of Citrus sinensis is called sweet orange to distinguish it from Citrus aurantium, the bitter orange. In a number of languages, it is known as a “Chinese apple” (eg. Dutch Sinaasappel (China’s apple)).