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color

n. C / U
A1 Beginner US //ˈkəɫɝ// col·or General-service Informal Slang

n. the appearance of something that you see when light hits it, such as red, blue, or green. You use this to describe how things look to your eyes.

n. the visual perception of different wavelengths of light, typically categorised by names such as red, blue, or yellow. Often used figuratively to describe vividness or interesting detail in a narrative or performance.


SIMPLE

My favorite color is blue.

CONTEXTUAL

The artist chose a bright red color to make the flowers stand out against the dark background.

COMPLEX

While the technical specifications of the monitor are impressive, the actual depth of color it produces is what truly distinguishes it from cheaper consumer models.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English colour, color, borrowed from Anglo-Norman colur, from Old French colour, color, from Latin color. Doublet of couleur. Displaced English blee, Middle English blee (“color”), from Old English blēo. Also partially replaced Old English hīew (“color”) and its descendants (English hue), which is less often used in this sense. The spelling color was popularized in modern American English by Noah Webster, to match the spelling of the word's Latin etymon, and make all American spellings of the derivatives consistent (colorimeter, coloration, colorize, colorless, etc).

Usage

Both countable for specific hues and uncountable for the general concept. The spelling 'color' is standard in American English, while 'colour' is used in British English.

Pitfall

What color has your car?What color is your car?In English, we use the verb 'to be' to ask about or describe the color of an object, not the verb 'to have'.

Idioms3 entries

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