You are right. אדוֹם, 'red', is, indeed, possibly from דם, 'blood'. A color is the name of a substance of this tint. Say, יָרוֹק, 'green', is the color of יֶרֶק, 'grass', (not not vice versa!) In English too, "green" is clearly related to "growth" and "grass". Recall Job 39:8I hope that I have understood you correctly Isaac, that you say there is no connection between adam and Red? What about Isaiah 63:2 and song of songs where it mention the red chheks ? Also in Genesis the same word that is used for man is used for the earth (though in feminine I think), and the earth/dust though being of different colours around the world is strictly speaking dominated with a light reddish colour, and the fact that blood is red, (though I realise this is NOT strictly hebrew grammar it is interesting that if you take God ( the א out of Man) you are left with דם ).
יְתוּר הָרִים מִרְעֵהוּ וְאַחַר כָּל יָרוֹק יִדְרוֹשׁ
KJV: "The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing"
יָרוֹק being related to זָרוֹק, 'throw out green stems and shoots'.
אדם is certainly not so called because he was created from reddish dust. In fact Gen. 2:19 states that all life is created from האדמה, "out of the ground", meaning that the bodies of the living things are also made of the same minerals and elements of common matter.
אדם and אדמה have nothing to do with אדוֹם, 'red', but are rather both of the same root, related to עצם, 'solid'.
I will say it again. There is no "horizontal" relationships between Hebrew words. If related, then, they are related by a common root (colors excepted.)
We need to be on our guard no to succumb to the easy (and unfortunately common) fallacy of one Hebrew word "coming" from another similar word. Say, כפר, 'village', has nothing to do with כפוֹר, 'frost', nor with כפיר, 'lion'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
www.hebrewetymology.com