Impossible Color Names 

The Naming System

The normal amount of colors a normal trichromat can see on a standard digital RGB screen is about 16 million unique colors. However, impossible binocular color combinations introduce 8 million times more colors to our color vision. The result is approximately 280+ trillion novel color experiences in trained viewers which allow for an incredible amount of visual detail if implemented properly into color vision. All of these new colors need distinct names so that we can refer to and share them. Only when we can name a specific color we can communicate it to other people. 

In the following I have created a naming system for all impossible trichromatic colors that are combinations of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary trichromatic colors. The naming system works by splitting every trichromatic color name into two parts, a prefix and a suffix. These prefixes and suffixes can be combined to form the name for any impossible trichromatic color combination. While this naming system is understandably unimaginative—I could easily give each new color an entirely new name—it allows for the easy comprehension and recognition of any impossible color's trichromatic color composition. This way you don't have to learn 576 entirely new color names. Because most of the chosen representative trichromatic color names should already be familiar with you, you can construct and deconstruct any impossible color if you know its basic trichromatic color prefixes and suffixes.

The Impossible Color Names Chart

Because nobody has ever created such an elaborate naming system for impossible color combinations before—at least to my knowledge—this their the first and official naming system.

(De-) Construction

This naming sytem for impossible trichromatic colors also entails impossible saturation and brightness combinations of trichromatic colors. Colors such as Silboro Tartel Turmillion become possible. The impossible color names are (de-) constructed as such:

Sil-(ver) + Tar-(nished) + Tur-(quoise) → Every first/left part relates to the first/left-eye color.

(Gains)-boro + (Pas)-tel + (Ver)-million → Every second/right part relates to the second/right-eye color.

Each prefix and suffix is unique, so the (de-)construction of any impossible color name can't lead to identification errors.

There's more, But Also a Limit

When there are literally 8 million times more colors to name, it becomes exponentially more difficult to name them all. This impossible color naming chart tries to incorporate the most used basic color names and differences to present an elaborate but not overwhelming method to accurately name the most common impossible color combinations. In everyday life, people seldomly refer to colors more minutely than quaternary colors; thus I've decided that this is a good limit for now.

Impossible Color Names in Color in Color