E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Colours.
Accidental colours. Those colours seen on a white ground after looking for some time at a bright-coloured object, like the sun.
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Complementary colours. Colours which, in combination, produce white light.
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“The colour transmitted is always complementary to the one reflected.”—Brewster: Optics, xii.
Fundamental colours. The seven colours of the spectrum: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Or red, yellow, blue, also called primary or simple colours.
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Secondary colours. Those which result from the mixture of two or more primary or simple colours.
