Color
Pronunciation
- UK enPR: kÅl'É™(r), IPA: /ˈkÊŒl.É™(ɹ)/
- US enPR: kÅl'É™r, IPA: /ˈkÊŒl.Éš/
- Rhymes: -ʌlə(ɹ)
Alternative forms
- colour British, Canadian, Commonwealth (see the usage notes below)
Origin
Middle English colo(u)r, from Anglo-Norman colur, from Old French colour, color, from Latin color, from Old Latin colos "covering", from Proto-Indo-European *kel- ("to cover, conceal"). Akin to Latin cēlŠ("I hide, conceal"). Displaced Middle English blee ("color"), from Old English blēo. More at blee.
In the US, the spelling color is used to match the spelling of the word's Latin etymon, and to make all derivatives consistent (colorimeter, colorize, colorless, etc). Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, the spelling colour has been retained.
Full definition of color
Noun
color
(countable and uncountable; plural colors)- (uncountable) The spectral composition of visible lightHumans and birds can perceive color.
- (countable) A particular set of visible spectral compositions, perceived or named as a class.Most languages have names for the colors black, white, red, and green.
- (uncountable) Hue as opposed to achromatic colors (black, white and grays).He referred to the white flag as one "drained of all color".
- (uncountable) Human skin tone, especially as an indicator of race or ethnicity. Color has been a sensitive issue in many societies.
- (figuratively) Interest, especially in a selective area.a bit of local color
- (heraldry) Any of the standard dark tinctures used in a coat of arms, including azure, gules, sable, and vert. Contrast with metal.
- (in the plural) A standard or banner.The loss of their colors destroyed the regiment's morale.
- The system of color television.This film is broadcast in color.
- (in the plural) An award for sporting achievement, particularly within a school or university.''He was awarded colors for his football.
- In corporate finance, details on sales, profit margins, or other financial figures, especially while reviewing quarterly results when an officer of a company is speaking to investment analysts.Could you give me some color with regards to which products made up the mix of revenue for this quarter?
- (physics) A property of quarks, with three values called red, green, and blue, which they can exchange by passing gluons.
- (typography) The relative lightness or darkness of a mass of written or printed text on a page.
- (snooker) Any of the colored balls excluding the reds.
- A front or facade: an ostensible truth actually false.
- An appearance of right or authority.Under color of law, he managed to bilk taxpayers of millions of dollars.
- (medicine) Skin color noted as: normal, jaundice, cyanotic, flush, mottled, pale, or ashen as part of the skin signs assessment.
Usage notes
The late Anglo-Norman colour, which is the standard UK spelling, has been the usual spelling in Britain since the 14th century and was chosen by Dr. Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755) along with other Anglo-Norman spellings such as favour, honour, etc. The Latin spelling color was occasionally used from the 15th century onward, mainly due to Latin influence; it was lemmatized by Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828), along with favor, honor, etc., and is currently the standard US spelling.
In Canada, colour is preferred, but color is not unknown; in Australia, -our endings are the standard, although -or endings had some currency in the past and are still sporadically found in some regions.
Synonyms
- (spectral composition of visible light) blee
- (particular set named as a class) blee, hue
- (hue, as opposed to achromatic colours) hue, shade, blee
- (human skin tone as an indicator of race or ethnicity) colour of one’s skin, complexion, blee, ethnicity, race
- (interest, especially in a selective area) interest
- (dark tincture) stain
- (standard or banner) banner, standard
- (colour television) colour television
Derived terms
Adjective
color
- Conveying color, as opposed to shades of gray.Color television and movies were considered a great improvement over black and white.
Verb
US- To give something color.We could color the walls red.
- (intransitive) To apply colors to the areas within the boundaries of a line drawing using colored markers or crayons.My kindergartener loves to color.
- (of a face) To become red through increased blood flow.''Her face colored as she realized her mistake.
- To affect without completely changing.That interpretation certainly colors my perception of the book.
- (informal) To attribute a quality to.Color me confused.
- (mathematics) To assign colors to the vertices of (a graph) or the regions of (a map) so that no two adjacent ones have the same color.Can this graph be two-colored?You can color any map with four colors.