What does ROYGBIV mean? The internet has become a popular place for many forms of electronic communication. This form of communication combines some old and some new abbreviations, acronyms, and slang as part of everyday conversation. One of these accepted acronyms is “ROYGBIV.” Here you will find the meaning of this term and the information about its origin. You will also find other meanings for this term if any exist and see some examples of conversations that will help you to see how this term is used correctly. Finally, you will some suggestions of how you can say this term differently and still convey the same meaning.
ROYGBIV Meaning
What Does ROYGBIV Mean?
The acronym ROYGBIV is an acronym that is used to help people remember the order of the different hues that one can see in a rainbow.
Origin of ROYGBIV
This is an example of an old acronym that was used to help school children remember the different hues represented in the rainbow that has continued to be used on the internet. This acronym has existed since the year 1665 when Sir Isaac Newton himself invented it while studying white light and its colorful spectral components. He discovered these different colors of white light as he observed it passing through a spectrum and the acronym has been widely used ever since both on and off the internet.
Other Meanings
There are no known other meaning of this acronym available.
Example Conversations
A text conversation between two friends after school.
- Friend 1: So art class was interesting today.
- Friend 2: It was? Art is never interesting. I get so bored in that class.
- Friend 1: Yeah, it was interesting because we learned about ROYGBIV.
- Friend 2: Who is that?
- Friend 1: LOL! No, it’s not a person! It’s a way to memorize the different hues of a rainbow in the order they appear in the light spectrum.
- Friend 2: ??
- Friend 1: You know… red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Each of these start with the letters of that acronym.
- Friend 2: Oh, now I get it! I feel so dumb! LOL!!
An online conversation at the bottom of an educational art blog post for kids.
- Original comment: I have been trying to teach my first grader the different hues represented in the rainbow. Do you have any suggestions I could use to help her remember her colors?
- Reply 1: Try using the acronym ROYGBIV or Roy G. Biv to help her remember.
- Reply 2: What is ROYGBIV? I have never heard of that before.
- Reply 3: It helps people of all ages easily remember the different hues that can be seen in a rainbow in the order they appear by remember the acronym and assigning the right color to the corresponding letter, i.e. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet..
- Reply 4: That is such a great idea! Thank you!
Alternatives to “ROYGBIV”
Sometimes the acronym ROYGBIV may appear in different ways, but it always represenst the same thing. Some of the other ways that the colors can be represented in acronym form include:
- Roy G. Biv, like a person’s name
- VIBGYOR, the same colors just in backward order
ROYGBIV Meaning Infographic
Last Updated on March 20, 2020