col·our (k?l??r)n. & v. Chiefly British Variant of color.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.colour (?k?l?) or colorn1. (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 wavelengthsb. the aspect of visual perception by which an observer recognizes this attributec. the quality of the light producing this aspect of visual perceptiond. (as modifier): colour vision. 2. (General Physics) a. a colour, such as red or green, that possesses hue, as opposed to achromatic colours such as white or blackb. (as modifier): a colour television; a colour film. Compare black-and-white23. (Dyeing) a substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts colour to something4. (Anthropology & Ethnology) a. the skin complexion of a person, esp as determined by raceb. (as modifier): colour prejudice; colour problem. 5. (Art Terms) the use of all the hues in painting as distinct from composition, form, and light and shade6. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) the quantity and quality of ink used in a printing process7. (Music, other) the distinctive tone of a musical sound; timbre8. 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 gravel11. (General Physics) physics one of three characteristics of quarks, designated red, blue, or green, but having no relationship with the physical sensationvb12. to give or apply colour to (something)13. (tr) to give a convincing or plausible appearance to (something, esp to that which is spoken or recounted): to colour an alibi. 14. (tr) to influence or distort (something, esp a report or opinion): anger coloured her judgment. 15. (often foll by: up) to become red in the face, esp when embarrassed or annoyed16. (Agriculture) (intr) (esp of ripening fruit) to change hue[C13: from Old French colour from Latin color tint, hue]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014col?or (?k?l ?r) 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 When you are describing the colour of something, you don’t normally use the word colour. Don’t say, for example, ‘He wore a green colour tie’. You say ‘He wore a green tie’.However, you sometimes use the word colour when you are asking about the colour of something, or when you are describing a colour in an indirect way.Be Careful!In sentences like these you use be, not ‘have’. Don’t say ‘What colour has the bird?’ or ‘The paint has the colour of grass’.You also use the word colour when you are using more unusual colour words. For example, you can say that something is a bluish-green colour.You can also say, for example, that something is bluish-green in colour.You can also add the suffix -coloured to the name of a colour.The American spellings of ‘colour’ and ‘-coloured’ are color and -colored.