Crayola® brand crayons got their name from the French translation of which two English words?

You can buy a box of Crayola crayons with 152 colors today, but back in 1903, they only came in 8 colors. Even so, the first-ever box of Crayola brand crayons was a huge improvement over the first crayons ever sold, which only came in black.

Crayola did not invent the crayon. Records show that Europe was the birthplace of the "modern" crayon. The first crayons were made from a mixture of charcoal and oil. Later, powdered pigments of various hues replaced the charcoal. Eventually, it was discovered that substituting wax for the oil in the mixture made the sticks sturdier and easier to handle.

“Crayolas” were invented by Binney & Smith in 1902 and first offered for sale in 1903. Alice (Stead) Binney, a school teacher and wife of the company’s co-founder Edwin Binney, suggested the company manufacture an inexpensive alternative to the imported crayons of that time.

“Crayola" is actually a combination of two French words. The "ola" part is derived from the French "oléagineux," which means “oily” in English. The first part, "cray," comes from "craie," the French word which means “chalk” in English .

The French word “Craie” is also the root of the English word "crayon". However, Binney & Smith says their brand name was derived from the two French words, not from the English word "crayon". Either way, the roots of the brand name originated in the French language.