Definition
Historically, a person who made or sold paint and pigments; a colormaker or paint supplier.
Etymology
From 'colour' (noun) + 'man' (suffix indicating a person in a profession). This is a traditional occupational surname pattern common in English, like 'blacksmith' or 'miller'.
Kelly Says
The 'colourman' profession was crucial to art history—artists like Monet and Cézanne depended on colormen to develop new synthetic pigments, and without innovations from paint suppliers, the Impressionist revolution literally couldn't have happened!
Translations
ARالعربية
رجل ملون
rij-al maloon
BNবাংলা
রঙের মানুষ
rong-er ma-nush
CACatalà
home de color
ho-me deh koh-lo-r
CSČeština
muž barvy
muzh bar-vy
DADansk
farvemand
far-ve-mand
DEDeutsch
farbiger Mann
far-bi-ger Mann
ELΕλληνικά
άντρας χρώματος
an-tras kro-ma-tos
ESEspañol
hombre de color
om-breh deh koh-lor
FAفارسی
مرد رنگارنگ
mard rang-a-rang
FISuomi
väri mies
vä-ri mies
FRFrançais
homme de couleur
om-m reh koh-loor
GUGU
રંગનો માણસ
rang-no ma-an-s
HEעברית
גבר צבעוני
ge-ver tsa-bo-ni
HIहिन्दी
रंग का आदमी
rang ka a-da-mee
HUMagyar
színes férfi
see-nes far-ee
IDBahasa Indonesia
pria berwarna
pria ber-warna
ITItaliano
uomo di colore
oo-moh deh koh-lo-re
KO한국어
색깔 남자
saek-kal nam-ja
MRMR
रंगीत व्यक्ती
ran-geet vyak-ti
MSBahasa Melayu
lelaki berwarna
lelaki ber-warna
NLNederlands
kleurman
kleur-man
NONorsk
fargemann
far-ge-mann
PLPolski
mężczyzna koloru
men-zy-zna ko-lo-ru
PTPortuguês
homem de cor
oh-m-em deh kor
RORomână
omul de culoare
om-ul deh koo-lo-re
RUРусский
мужчина цвета
muzh-chi-na tsve-ta
SVSvenska
färgmans
färg-mans
SWKiswahili
mtu wa rangi
mtu wa ran-gi
TAதமிழ்
நிறத்தவர்
nir-atha-var
TEతెలుగు
రంగు వ్యక్తి
ran-gu vyak-ti
THไทย
ผู้ชายมีสี
poo chai mee see
TLTL
lalaki na may kulay
la-la-ki na may ku-lay
TRTürkçe
renkli adam
renk-li a-dam
UKУкраїнська
чоловік кольору
cho-lo-vi-k kol-o-ru
URاردو
رنگ کا آدمی
rang ka a-da-mee
VITiếng Việt
người đàn ông có màu
nguoi dan ong co mau
ZUZU
umuntu wecolour
u-mu-ntu we-col-our
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Historical trades defaulted to masculine terms; 'colourman' refers to supplier/worker in paint/pigment industry. Male-coded despite being a profession both genders have always worked.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'color supplier' or 'colorist' to remain neutral. If referring to a specific person, match their identity.
Inclusive Alternatives
["colour supplier","colorist","paint supplier","pigment technician"]
Empowerment Note
Women artists and pigment manufacturers have long been erased from art history; acknowledging women colourmakers (like those in medieval illumination and modern cosmetics) corrects this oversight.