col·our (k l  r)n. & v. Chiefly British Variant of color. |
colour US, color [ˈkʌlə]
n
1. (Physics / General Physics)
a. an attribute of things that results from the light they reflect, transmit, or emit in so far as this light causes a visual sensation that depends on its wavelengths
b. the aspect of visual perception by which an observer recognizes this attribute
c. the quality of the light producing this aspect of visual perception
d. (as modifier) colour vision
2. (Physics / General Physics) Also called chromatic colour
a. a colour, such as red or green, that possesses hue, as opposed to achromatic colours such as white or black
3. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Dyeing) a substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts colour to something
4. (Social Science / Anthropology & Ethnology)
a. the skin complexion of a person, esp as determined by his race
b. (as modifier) colour prejudice colour problem
5. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) the use of all the hues in painting as distinct from composition, form, and light and shade
6. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) the quantity and quality of ink used in a printing process
7. (Music, other) the distinctive tone of a musical sound; timbre
8. vividness, authenticity, or individuality period colour
9. semblance or pretext (esp in the phrases take on a different colour, under colour of)
10. (Mining & Quarrying) US a precious mineral particle, esp gold, found in auriferous gravel
11. (Physics / General Physics) Physics one of three characteristics of quarks, designated red, blue, or green, but having no relationship with the physical sensation
vb
1. to give or apply colour to (something)
2. (tr) to give a convincing or plausible appearance to (something, esp to that which is spoken or recounted) to colour an alibi
3. (tr) to influence or distort (something, esp a report or opinion) anger coloured her judgment
4. (intr; often foll by up) to become red in the face, esp when embarrassed or annoyed
5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (intr) (esp of ripening fruit) to change hue See also colours
[from Old French colour from Latin color tint, hue]
col•or (ˈkʌl ər)
n.
1. the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by it, usu. determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.
2. the natural hue of the skin, esp. of the face; complexion.
3. a ruddy complexion, usu. indicating good health.
4. a blush.
5. vivid or distinctive quality, as of a literary work.
6. details in description, customs, speech, habits, etc., of a place or period: a novel about the Pilgrims with much local color.
7. something that is used for coloring; pigment; dye.
8. background information, as anecdotes or analyses of strategy, given by a sportscaster during a broadcast.
9. colors,
a. a colored badge, ribbon, or uniform worn or displayed to signify allegiance, membership, etc.
b. viewpoint or attitude; character; personality: to show one's true colors under stress.
c. a flag, ensign, etc., particularly the national flag.
10. skin tone other than white as an indicator of racial or ethnic affiliation: Persons of color had been denied their civil rights.
11. outward appearance or aspect; guise or show: a lie that had the color of truth.
12. a pretext: a mean trick under the color of a good deed.
13. Law. an apparent or evident right: holding possession under color of title.
14. tonal shading and timbre in music.
15. a trace or particle of valuable mineral, esp. gold, as shown by washing auriferous gravel.
16. Physics. a theoretical property that distinguishes the various states in which quarks exist.
adj. 17. involving, utilizing, yielding, or possessing color: a color TV.
v.t. 18. to give or apply color to; tinge; paint; dye.
19. to cause to appear different from the reality: She colored her account.
20. to give a special character or quality to: The author's animosities color his writing.
v.i. 21. to take on or change color.
22. to flush; blush.
Idioms: change color,
a. to blush.
b. to turn pale.
[1250–1300; Middle English col(e)ur < Anglo-French < Latin colōrem, acc. of color]
col′or•er, n.
usage: See -or1.
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | colour - any material used for its color; "she used a different color for the trim" paint, pigment - a substance used as a coating to protect or decorate a surface (especially a mixture of pigment suspended in a liquid); dries to form a hard coating; "artists use `paint' and `pigment' interchangeably" material, stuff - the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread" indicator - (chemistry) a substance that changes color to indicate the presence of some ion or substance; can be used to indicate the completion of a chemical reaction or (in medicine) to test for a particular reaction mordant - a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process tincture - a substances that colors metals hematochrome - a reddish coloring material found in some algae pigment - dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.) pigment - any substance whose presence in plant or animal tissues produces a characteristic color stain - (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible |
| 2. | colour - a race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks) race - people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock; "some biologists doubt that there are important genetic differences between races of human beings" person of color, person of colour - (formal) any non-European non-white person | |
| 3. | colour - (physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; "each flavor of quarks comes in three colors" kind, sort, form, variety - a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality; "sculpture is a form of art"; "what kinds of desserts are there?" high energy physics, high-energy physics, particle physics - the branch of physics that studies subatomic particles and their interactions | |
| 4. |  colour - interest and variety and intensity; "the Puritan Period was lacking in color"; "the characters were delineated with exceptional vividness"interestingness, interest - the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.); "they said nothing of great interest"; "primary colors can add interest to a room" | |
| 5. | colour - the timbre of a musical sound; "the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music" | |
| 6. |  colour - a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect; "a white color is made up of many different wavelengths of light"visual property - an attribute of vision primary color, primary colour - any of three colors from which all others can be obtained by mixing heather mixture, heather - interwoven yarns of mixed colors producing muted greyish shades with flecks of color mottle - an irregular arrangement of patches of color; "it was not dull grey as distance had suggested, but a mottle of khaki and black and olive-green" tint, shade, tincture, tone - a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color; "after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted" achromatic color, achromatic colour - a color lacking hue; white or grey or black coloration, colouration - appearance with regard to color; "her healthy coloration" dithered color, dithered colour, nonsolid color, nonsolid colour - a color produced by a pattern of differently colored dots that together simulate the desired color | |
| 7. | colour - an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading; "he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color" appearance, visual aspect - outward or visible aspect of a person or thing color of law, colour of law - a mere semblance of legal right; something done with the apparent authority of law but actually in contravention of law; "the plaintiff claimed that under color of law the officer had deprived him of his civil rights" simulacrum - an insubstantial or vague semblance face value - the apparent worth as opposed to the real worth guise, pretence, pretext, pretense - an artful or simulated semblance; "under the guise of friendship he betrayed them" camouflage, disguise - an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something; "the theatrical notion of disguise is always associated with catastrophe in his stories" verisimilitude - the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true | |
| 8. | colour - the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation appearance, visual aspect - outward or visible aspect of a person or thing | |
| Verb | 1. | colour - modify or bias; "His political ideas color his lectures" |
| 2. | colour - decorate with colors; "color the walls with paint in warm tones" adorn, decorate, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify - make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day" miniate - paint with red lead or vermilion | |
| 3. | colour - give a deceptive explanation or excuse for; "color a lie" apologise, rationalize, apologize, rationalise, justify, excuse - defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" | |
| 4. | colour - affect as in thought or feeling; "My personal feelings color my judgment in this case"; "The sadness tinged his life" | |
| 5. | colour - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" blackwash - color with blackwash parti-color, motley - make motley; color with different colors azure - color azure; "Morning azured the village" aurify - turn golden verdigris - color verdigris pinkify - make pink incarnadine - make flesh-colored handcolor, handcolour - color by hand; "Some old photographs are handcolored" tinct, tint, tinge, touch - color lightly; "her greying hair was tinged blond"; "the leaves were tinged red in November" pigment - color or dye with a pigment; "pigment a photograph" retouch - give retouches to (hair); "retouch the roots" silver - make silver in color; "Her worries had silvered her hair" tone - change to a color image; "tone a photographic image" redden - make red; "The setting sun reddened the sky" | |
| 6. | colour - change color, often in an undesired manner; "The shirts discolored" blush, crimson, flush, redden - turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame; "The girl blushed when a young man whistled as she walked by" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" black, blacken, nigrify, melanise, melanize - make or become black; "The smoke blackened the ceiling"; "The ceiling blackened" turn - change color; "In Vermont, the leaves turn early" silver - turn silver; "The man's hair silvered very attractively" dye - color with dye; "Please dye these shoes" redden - turn red or redder; "The sky reddened" purple - become purple yellow - turn yellow; "The pages of the book began to yellow" tone - change the color or tone of; "tone a negative" green - turn or become green; "The trees are greening" blue - turn blue | |
| Adj. | 1. | colour - having or capable of producing colors; "color film"; "he rented a color television"; "marvelous color illustrations" photography, picture taking - the act of taking and printing photographs |
colour U.S. color
noun
1. hue, tone, shade, tint, tinge, tincture, colourway The badges come in twenty different colours and shapes.
2. paint, stain, dye, tint, pigment, tincture, coloration, colourwash, colorant the latest range of lip and eye colours
3. skin colour, race, complexion, ethnicity, pigmentation His colour and ethnic origins are not the issue here.
4. rosiness, glow, bloom, flush, blush, brilliance, redness, vividness, ruddiness There was a touch of colour in her cheeks.
5. liveliness, life, interest, excitement, animation, zest The ceremony brought a touch of colour to the normally drab proceedings.
plural noun
1. flag, standard, banner, emblem, ensign Troops raised the country's colours in a special ceremony.
3. nature, quality, character, aspect, personality, stamp, traits, temperament After we were married, he showed his true colours.
verb
2. blush, flush, crimson, redden, go crimson, burn, go as red as a beetroot He couldn't help noticing that she coloured slightly.
3. influence, affect, prejudice, distort, pervert, taint, slant The attitude of parents colours the way their children behave.
4. exaggerate, disguise, embroider, misrepresent, falsify, gloss over, airbrush He wrote a highly coloured account of his childhood.
Related words
fear chromophobia
see shades from black to white, shades of blue, shades of brown, shades of green, shades of orange, shades of purple, shades of red, shades of yellowfear chromophobia
Translations
colour color (US) [ˈkʌləʳ]
A. N
1. (= shade) → color m
what colour is it? → ¿de qué color es?
they come in different colours → los hay de varios colores
to change colour → cambiar or mudar de color
it was green in colour → era de color verde
as time goes by my memories take on a different colour (fig) → con el paso de los años mis recuerdos van tomando otro color
let's see the colour of your money! (hum) → ¡a ver la pasta!
what colour is it? → ¿de qué color es?
they come in different colours → los hay de varios colores
to change colour → cambiar or mudar de color
it was green in colour → era de color verde
as time goes by my memories take on a different colour (fig) → con el paso de los años mis recuerdos van tomando otro color
let's see the colour of your money! (hum) → ¡a ver la pasta!
2. (= colourfulness) → color m
splashes of colour → salpicones fpl or notas fpl de color
what this room needs is a touch of colour → lo que este cuarto necesita es un toque de color
in colour (TV, Cine) → en color
splashes of colour → salpicones fpl or notas fpl de color
what this room needs is a touch of colour → lo que este cuarto necesita es un toque de color
in colour (TV, Cine) → en color
3. (= dye, paint, pigment) → color m
the latest lip and eye colours → los últimos colores para labios y ojos
the latest lip and eye colours → los últimos colores para labios y ojos
4. (= complexion) → color m
the colour drained from his face → palideció → se le fue el color de la cara
the colour rose to her face → se le subieron los colores
to put the colour back in sb's cheeks → devolverle el color or los colores a algn
to be off colour → estar indispuesto
the colour drained from his face → palideció → se le fue el color de la cara
the colour rose to her face → se le subieron los colores
to put the colour back in sb's cheeks → devolverle el color or los colores a algn
to be off colour → estar indispuesto
6. colours [of country, team] → colores mpl; (= flag) → bandera f (Mil) → estandarte m
the Hungarian national colours → los colores húngaros; (= flag) → la bandera húngara
to salute the colours → saludar a la bandera
the battalion's colours → el estandarte del batallón
he was wearing the team's colours → vestía los colores del equipo
with flying colours she passed her exams with flying colours → aprobó los exámenes con unas notas excelentes
he has come out of all the tests with flying colours → ha salido airoso de todas las pruebas
to nail one's colours to the mast he nailed his colours to the mast → hizo constar sus opiniones
to show one's true colours; show o.s. in one's true colours → demostrar cómo se es de verdad
see also flying A
the Hungarian national colours → los colores húngaros; (= flag) → la bandera húngara
to salute the colours → saludar a la bandera
the battalion's colours → el estandarte del batallón
he was wearing the team's colours → vestía los colores del equipo
with flying colours she passed her exams with flying colours → aprobó los exámenes con unas notas excelentes
he has come out of all the tests with flying colours → ha salido airoso de todas las pruebas
to nail one's colours to the mast he nailed his colours to the mast → hizo constar sus opiniones
to show one's true colours; show o.s. in one's true colours → demostrar cómo se es de verdad
see also flying A
7. (= authenticity, vividness) → color m, colorido m
an article full of local colour → un artículo lleno de colorido local
an article full of local colour → un artículo lleno de colorido local
8. (= pretext) under the colour of → bajo la apariencia de ...
9. (Mus) (also tone colour) → timbre m
B. VT
3. (= influence) → influir en
his politics are coloured by his upbringing → sus opiniones políticas están influenciadas por su educación
you must not allow it to colour your judgement → no debes permitir que influya en tu juicio
his politics are coloured by his upbringing → sus opiniones políticas están influenciadas por su educación
you must not allow it to colour your judgement → no debes permitir que influya en tu juicio
C. VI
1. (= blush) → ponerse colorado, sonrojarse
2. (= change colour) → tomar color
fry the onion until it begins to colour → fría la cebolla hasta que empiece a coger color
fry the onion until it begins to colour → fría la cebolla hasta que empiece a coger color
3. (with crayons) [child] → colorear
D. CPD [film, photograph, slide] → en or (LAm) a color
colour bar N → barrera f racial
colour blindness N → daltonismo m
colour filter N (Phot) → filtro m de color
colour guard N (Mil) → portaestandarte mf
colour line N → barrera f de color
colour match N → coordinación f de colores
colour prejudice N → prejuicio m racial
colour scheme N → combinación f de colores
colour sergeant N (Mil) → sargento mf portaestandarte
colour supplement N (Journalism) → suplemento m a color
colour television N → televisión f en color, televisión f a color(LAm)
colour bar N → barrera f racial
colour blindness N → daltonismo m
colour filter N (Phot) → filtro m de color
colour guard N (Mil) → portaestandarte mf
colour line N → barrera f de color
colour match N → coordinación f de colores
colour prejudice N → prejuicio m racial
colour scheme N → combinación f de colores
colour sergeant N (Mil) → sargento mf portaestandarte
colour supplement N (Journalism) → suplemento m a color
colour television N → televisión f en color, televisión f a color(LAm)
colour [ˈkʌlər] (British) color (US)
n
[thing] → couleur f
What colour is it? → C'est de quelle couleur?
in colour [film, illustrations] → en couleur
to want to see the colour of sb's money → vouloir voir la couleur de l'argent de qn
What colour is it? → C'est de quelle couleur?
in colour [film, illustrations] → en couleur
to want to see the colour of sb's money → vouloir voir la couleur de l'argent de qn
[person, skin] → couleur f
(= dye) → teinture f
(= liveliness) → couleur f colours
npl
[party, club] → couleurs fpl
(= flag) [army] → drapeau m
to pass with flying colours → réussir haut la main
to nail one's colours to the mast → annoncer la couleur
to nail one's colours to sb's mast → porter les couleurs de qn
to pass with flying colours → réussir haut la main
to nail one's colours to the mast → annoncer la couleur
to nail one's colours to sb's mast → porter les couleurs de qn
to see sb in their true colours → percer qn à jour
to show one's true colours → se montrer sous son vrai jour
to show one's true colours → se montrer sous son vrai jour
vt
[+ judgement] → fausser
colour, (US) color
colour, (US) color in cpds → Farb-; (racial) → Rassen-; (Mil) → Fahnen-;
colour, (US) color:
n
(lit, fig) → Farbe f; what colour is it? → welche Farbe hat es?; red/yellow in colour → rot/gelb; the film was in colour → der Film war in Farbe; colour illustration → farbige Illustration; a good sense of colour → ein guter Farbensinn; let’s see the colour of your money first (inf) → zeig erst mal dein Geld her (inf); the colour of a note (Mus) → die Klangfarbe eines Tons ? glowing
(= complexion) → (Gesichts)farbe f; to change colour → die Farbe wechseln; to get one’s colour back → wieder Farbe bekommen; to bring the colour back to somebody’s cheeks → jdm wieder Farbe geben; to have a high colour (Brit) → eine gesunde Gesichtsfarbe haben; (= look feverish) → rot im Gesicht sein; he had gone a funny colour → er nahm eine komische Farbe an
(racial) → Hautfarbe f; I don’t care what colour he is → seine Hautfarbe interessiert mich nicht; people of colour (dated) → Farbige pl
(fig: = bias: of newspaper, report) → Färbung f
(of place, period etc) → Atmosphäre f; to add colour to a story → einer Geschichte (dat) → Farbe geben; the pageantry and colour of Elizabethan England → der Prunk und die Farbenpracht des Elisabethanischen England
colours pl (= symbols of membership) → Farben pl; (Sport) → (Sport)abzeichen nt; (= flag) → Fahne f; the regimental colours → die Regimentsfahne; to serve with/join the colours (old) → der Fahne dienen (dated) → /den bunten Rock anziehen (old); to nail one’s colours to the mast (fig) → Farbe bekennen; to nail one’s colours to somebody’s mast (fig) → sich zu jdm bekennen; to sail under false colours (fig) → unter falscher Flagge segeln; to show one’s true colours (fig) → sein wahres Gesicht zeigen
vt
colour, (US) color in cpds → Farb-; (racial) → Rassen-; (Mil) → Fahnen-;
colour bar
n → Rassenschranke f; (in country also) → Rassenschranken pl; to operate a colour → Rassentrennung praktizieren
colour-blind
adj → farbenblind
colour blindness
n → Farbenblindheit f
colour-code
vt → farbig kennzeichnen or kodieren
colour coordination
n → farbliche Abstimmung
colour copy
n → Farbkopie f
colour, (US) color:
colour party
n → Fahnenträgerkommando nt
colour photograph
n → Farbfoto nt
colour postcard
n → bunte Ansichtskarte
colour retention
n (of clothes, paint) → Farbechtheit f
colour scheme
n → Farbzusammenstellung f
colour sergeant
n (Mil) → Fahnenträger m
colour supplement
n → Farbbeilage f, → Magazin nt
colour television
colour transparency
n → Farbdia nt
colourwash, (US) colorwash
n → Farbtünche f
colour color (Am) [ˈkʌləʳ]
1. n
a. (gen) → colore m
what colour is it? → di che colore è?
I want to see the colour of his money → voglio vederlo con i soldi in mano
to change colour → cambiare colore
what colour is it? → di che colore è?
I want to see the colour of his money → voglio vederlo con i soldi in mano
to change colour → cambiare colore
b. (complexion) → colore m, colorito
to get one's colour back → riprendere colore
the colour drained from his face → impallidì
to get one's colour back → riprendere colore
the colour drained from his face → impallidì
c. colours npl (Mil, Naut) → colori mpl; (of party, club) → emblemi mpl
to salute the colours → salutare la bandiera
to see sth in its true colours (fig) (usu pej) → vedere qc come veramente è
to show one's true colours (fig) (usu pej) → rivelare la propria vera personalità
to come through (sth) with flying colours (fig) → passare (qc) a pieni voti
to salute the colours → salutare la bandiera
to see sth in its true colours (fig) (usu pej) → vedere qc come veramente è
to show one's true colours (fig) (usu pej) → rivelare la propria vera personalità
to come through (sth) with flying colours (fig) → passare (qc) a pieni voti
2. vt (gen) → colorare; (tint, dye) → tingere (fig) (affect) → influenzare
to colour sth green → tingere or colorare qc di verde
to colour sth green → tingere or colorare qc di verde
3. vi (blush) (also colour up) → arrossire
4. adj (film, slide, photograph, television) → a colori
colour in vt + adv → colorare
1. a quality which objects have, and which can be seen, only when light falls on them. What colour is her dress?; Red, blue and yellow are colours.
2. paint(s). That artist uses water-colours.
3. (a) skin-colour varying with race. people of all colours.
4. vividness; interest. There's plenty of colour in his stories.
adjective (of photographs etc) in colour, not black and white. colour film; colour television.
verb to put colour on; to paint. They coloured the walls yellow.
ˈcoloured adjective1. having colour. She prefers white baths to coloured baths.
2. belonging to a dark-skinned race. There are only two white families living in this street – the rest are coloured.
noun (sometimes used impolitely) a dark-skinned person especially of Negro origin.
ˈcolourful adjective1. full of colour. a colourful pattern.
2. vivid and interesting. a colourful account of his experiences.
ˈcolouring noun1. something used to give colour. She put pink colouring in the icing.
2. complexion. She had very high colouring (= a very pink complexion).
ˈcolourless adjective1. without colour. Water is colourless.
2. not lively or interesting. a colourless young woman.
ˈcolours noun plural1. the distinction of winning a place in the team in some sports. He won his cricket colours last season.
2. a flag. Army regiments salute the colours when on parade.
3. a tunic of certain colours worn by a jockey to show that his race-horse belongs to a certain person.
ˈcolour-blind adjective unable to tell the difference between certain colours. As he was colour-blind he could not distinguish between red and green.
ˈcolour scheme noun an arrangement or choice of colours in decorating a house etc.
ˌoff-ˈcolour adjective not feeling well. He was a bit off-colour the morning after the party.
colour in to put colour into (drawings etc). He coloured in all the oblong shapes on the page.
show oneself in one's true colours to show or express one's real character, opinion etc. He pretends to be very generous but he showed himself in his true colours when he refused to give money to charity.
with flying colours with great success. He passed his exam with flying colours.
colour → لون barva farve Farbe χρώμα color väri couleur boja colore 色 색 kleur farge kolor cor цвет färg สี renk màu sắc 颜色
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