Colors

col·or  (klr) n. 1. That aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of the light reflected or emitted by them, definable in terms of the observer or of the light, as: a. The appearance of objects or light sources described in terms of the individual's perception of them, involving hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources. b. The characteristics of light by which the individual is made aware of objects or light sources through the receptors of the eye, described in terms of dominant wavelength, luminance, and purity. 2. A substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts a hue. 3. a. The general appearance of the skin; complexion. b. A ruddy complexion. c. A reddening of the face; a blush. 4. The skin pigmentation of a person not categorized as white. 5. colors A flag or banner, as of a country or military unit. 6. colors The salute made during the ceremony of raising or lowering a flag. 7. colors A distinguishing symbol, badge, ribbon, or mark: the colors of a college. 8. colors One's opinion or position: Stick to your colors. 9. Character or nature. Often used in the plural: revealed their true colors. 10. a. Outward appearance, often deceptive: a tale with the merest color of truth. b. Appearance of authenticity: testimony that lends color to an otherwise absurd notion. 11. a. Variety of expression. b. Vivid, picturesque detail: a story with a lot of color in it. 12. Traits of personality or behavior that attract interest. 13. The use or effect of pigment in painting, as distinct from form. 14. Music Quality of tone or timbre. 15. Law A mere semblance of legal right. 16. A particle or bit of gold found in auriferous gravel or sand. 17. Physics A quantum characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction. v. col·ored, col·or·ing, col·ors v.tr. 1. To impart color to or change the color of. 2. a. To give a distinctive character or quality to; modify. See Synonyms at bias. b. To exert an influence on; affect: The war colored the soldier's life. 3. a. To misrepresent, especially by distortion or exaggeration: color the facts. b. To gloss over; excuse: a parent who colored the children's lies. v.intr. 1. a. To take on color. b. To change color. 2. To become red in the face; blush. [Middle English colour, from Old French, from Latin color; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.] color·er n. Usage Note: Dissatisfaction with the implications of nonwhite as a racial label has doubtless contributed to the recent popularity of the term person of color and others, such as woman of color, with the same construction. In effect, person of color stands nonwhite on its head, substituting a positive for a negative. It is interesting that the almost exclusive association in American English of colored with Black does not carry over to terms formed with "of color," which are used inclusively of most groups other than those of European origin. See Usage Notes at colored, nonwhite.

color

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Colors 

See Also: BLACK, BLUE, BRIGHTNESS, BROWN, GREEN, PALLOR, PINK, RED, WHITE

1. An amber mixture like autumn leaves —Francois Maspero
2. Bright gold like a diadem —Angela Carter
3. (Sky damp and) colorless as a cough —Sharon Sheehe Stark
4. Colorless as a desert —Alice McDermott
5. Colorless like the white paper streamer a Chinaman pulls out of his mouth —editor, Dragonfly Magazine, 1880

   This simile appeared in a rejection letter sent to Anton Chekhov when he was still a fledgling writer.

6. Colors are as soft as a Mediterranean dawn —Bryan Miller, New York Times, July 3, 1987

   Miller’s simile pertained to the colors of a restaurant.

7. Colors as clear as notes perfectly played —A. E. Maxwell
8. Colors [of Christmas candy] … as piercing as the joys and sufferings of the poor … red like the love that was celebrated in doorways … yellow like the flames in a drunk man’s brain —Heinrich Boll
9. Colors clear as fresh-cut flowers —Joan Chase
10. Deep colored as old rugs —Eudora Welty
11. As full of color as blood —John Logan
12. Gold as the seeds of a melon —Dame Edith Sitwell
13. A good soldier, like a good horse, cannot be of a bad color —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

    See Also: ARMY

14. Orange as the sunset —Dashiell Hammett
15. Orange bright like golden lamps in a green light —Andrew Marvell
16. [A taxi] painted in an arabesque of colors, like a psychedelic dream gone wild —Andrew Kaplan
17. (His split lip is as) purple as a nightcrawler stuck on a hook —Robert Flanagan

    This simile begins Flanagan’s short story, Naked to Naked Goes.

18. Purple as a grape —Dashiell Hammett
19. [Cabbage] purply as cheap stained glass —Babette Deutsch
20. The reds and browns and golds of the trees seem ready to drip from their branches like wet dye —Alice McDermott

    See Also: TREES

21. Silvery as sleighbells —Diane Ackerman
22. Two-toned like a layer cake —Donald McCaig

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	colors - a flag that shows its nationality     colours ensign - colors flown by a ship to show its nationality flag - emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one
	2.	colors - a distinguishing emblem; "his tie proclaimed his school colors" colours emblem - special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc. plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one