ENGLISH
REFERENCE

isabella

n. uncountable
C2 Proficiency US //ˌɪzəˈbɛɫə// is·abel·la Archaic

n. a pale, greyish-yellow or light brown color. It is a very specific name for a shade often used to describe animal fur or old cloth.

n. a moderate greyish-yellow to light olive-brown color. When used in a biological context, it often describes the plumage of birds or the coats of certain mammals.


SIMPLE

The old book had pages the color of isabella.

CONTEXTUAL

The breeder noted that the puppy's coat was a rare isabella, a soft shade of tan that would lighten as it aged.

COMPLEX

The historical painting featured a queen dressed in heavy isabella silk, a choice of pigment that the restorer found difficult to replicate using modern synthetic dyes.

Origin

Latinate and Italian form of Isabel. The grape cultivar is popularly thought to have been discovered by a Mrs Isabella Gibbs of South Carolina in 1816.

Usage

Usually functions as a color descriptor; when used as a modifier before another noun, it does not require capitalization unless starting a sentence.

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