colour

/'kʌlə/

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Thân thiện

Definition

Noun:
- A visual attribute of things resulting from light: The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light. This includes hue, lightness, and saturation.
- A particular shade or variety of this attribute: A specific hue, such as red, blue, or green.
- The use of all colours, as opposed to black-and-white or monochrome: The quality of being in colour.
- Vividness, interest, or distinctive quality: The character or tone of something, especially in writing or speech.
- A substance used to give colour: Pigment, dye, or paint.
- The natural hue of a person's skin, especially of the face: Complexion.
- (In plural) A flag, badge, or symbol: The distinctive flag of a regiment, ship, or nation; or the jersey or emblem worn by a sports team.
- (Physics) A property of quarks: A quantum number in the theory of quantum chromodynamics.
Verb:
- To add colour to something: To apply paint, dye, or another medium to change the appearance of an object.
- To take on or change colour: To become coloured or to change hue.
- To influence or distort: To affect something, especially a statement, judgment, or attitude, giving it a particular bias.
- To blush or flush: For the skin of the face to become red, typically from embarrassment or emotion.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- The colour of the sky at sunset was breathtaking. (The specific hue of the sky.)
- She added a splash of colour to the room with bright cushions. (Vividness or pigment.)
- The book is full of local colour, describing the customs of the region. (Distinctive character or interest.)
- He lost colour when he heard the bad news. (The natural hue of his face, indicating he turned pale.)
Verb:
- The children love to colour pictures in their books. (To add colour with crayons or paints.)
- The leaves begin to colour in autumn. (To change colour naturally.)
- His personal experiences colour his view of politics. (To influence or bias.)
- Her cheeks coloured with embarrassment. (To blush.)

Advanced Usage

"To give/lend colour to something": To make something seem more believable or plausible.
- The detailed witness account gave colour to his otherwise unlikely story.
"To see someone in their true colours": To see someone's real character, often for the first time and when it is unpleasant.
- When he refused to help, I finally saw him in his true colours.
"Under colour of": Under the pretext or guise of.
- The search was conducted under colour of law.

Variants and Related Words

Colourful (Adjective): Full of bright colours or vivid detail; interesting and exciting.
- She wore a colourful dress. He told a colourful story about his travels.
Colourless (Adjective): Lacking colour; dull or lacking in interest.
- A colourless liquid. A colourless personality.
Coloration / Colouration (Noun): The arrangement or use of colours; colouring.
- The bird's brilliant coloration.
Colouring (Noun): The process or art of applying colour; the appearance of something in terms of colour.
- Food colouring. Her natural colouring is very fair.

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs / Phrases

Colour in: To fill an outlined area with colour.
- She spent the afternoon colouring in her new book.
Colour up: To blush.
- He coloured up when she complimented him.

Related Idioms

"Off colour": Not feeling well; slightly unwell. Also, of questionable taste or propriety.
- I'm feeling a bit off colour today. That joke was a bit off colour.
"With flying colours": With great success.
- She passed her exam with flying colours.
"Nail one's colours to the mast": To declare one's beliefs or intentions openly and firmly.
- He nailed his colours to the mast by publishing a manifesto.
"Show one's true colours": To reveal one's real character or intentions, especially when they are bad.
- He seemed friendly at first, but he showed his true colours when he started spreading rumours.

Adjective

having or capable of producing colors
- color film
- he rented a color television
- marvelous color illustrations

Noun

the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation
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
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
the timbre of a musical sound
- the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music
interest and variety and intensity
- the Puritan Period was lacking in color
- the characters were delineated with exceptional vividness
(physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction
- each flavor of quarks comes in three colors
a race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks)
any material used for its color
- she used a different color for the trim

Verb

change color, often in an undesired manner
- The shirts discolored
add color to
- The child colored the drawings
- Fall colored the trees
- colorize black and white film
affect as in thought or feeling
- My personal feelings color my judgment in this case
- The sadness tinged his life
give a deceptive explanation or excuse for
- color a lie
decorate with colors
- color the walls with paint in warm tones
modify or bias
- His political ideas color his lectures

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