Abstract: The Designation of the Chromatic Area of Grey in Italian Dialects. This article aims to study aspects of lexicalisation relating to the formation and usage of names designating ‘dark grey’ and ‘light grey’ in Italian dialects collected by the Italian Linguistic Atlas. These terms exist on the margins of the system of colour names present in dialects, and therefore the listing and analysis of the data allow us to note an interesting variety of linguistic solutions which compensate for the lack of a precise corresponding term in the dialect. From a geolinguistic point of view, the mapping of the data allows us to distinguish between shared areas covering the whole of Italy, and linguistic or cultural sub-areas with more specific features.

Keywords: colour naming, Italian dialects, Atlante Linguistico Italiano, dark grey, light grey