We know that 真っ赤 means "deep red," but how did it come to mean 'downright', as
in 真っ赤な嘘 (outright lie)?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-14T19:40:17.920
21810
2015-02-14T23:36:27.763
7161
question
etymology colors
How did 真っ赤 came to mean "downright"?
真っ赤 doesn't mean deep red, it's an emphatic expression of being red.

It comes form suffix ma and reduplicated adjectives.

  1. ma aka aka --> makkakka --> makka (まっかっか is still a word)
  2. ma kuro kuro --> makkuro

Edit: Sorry, my answer was irrelevant to OP's question.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-14T23:22:58.393
21814
2015-02-14T23:36:27.763
2015-02-14T23:36:27.763
4092
4092
21810
answer