colour
1 colour
2 the different colours
3 making sth coloured
4 losing colour
5 different colours together
1 colour
- the quality that makes sth red, yellow, green, etc: colour (noun U)
Her paintings are wonderful - full of light and colour.
- a particular colour: colour
What's your favourite colour?
- having many colours: colourful
a colourful dress ◎ The garden is really colourful at this time of year.
- having a particular colour: coloured
a pinkish-coloured flower ◎ coloured paper ◎ the parts of the map that are coloured green
Note: the AmE spelling of colour, coloured, colourful, etc is color, colored, colorful, etc.
- photographs, television, etc can either be (in) colour or (in) black and white
a colour printer ◎ Are the photos in colour or black and white? ◎ a black and white TV
- having no colour: colourless
Water is a colourless liquid. ◎ a colourless gas
- not having much colour and therefore not attractive: dull
It's a nice dress but it's a very dull colour. ◎ a dull sky
- a colour which is nearer to black than to white is dark
dark red curtains
- a colour which is nearer to white than to black is light, pale
light brown ◎ a pale pink colour
- a strong, easily noticeable colour is bright (adverb brightly), strong
bright red ◎ a brightly coloured shirt ◎ I like to wear strong colours like bright yellow and navy blue.
- a colour which is dark and strong is deep
deep blue
- very pale or light colours are called pastel colours
pastel blue/pink/green ◎ pastel shades
- colours like reds, oranges and browns are warm colours
the warm colours of autumn
- a type of a particular colour (lighter, darker, brighter, deeper, etc): shade
They had paint in lots of different shades of red. ◎ a lighter shade of green
- a small amount of colour: tint
green, with a blue tint in it
- the colour of a person's hair, skin, eyes: colouring
※ the colour of people's skin SKIN, FACE
2 the different colours
Note: to describe the shade that a colour is, you can use dark, light, pale or bright before the colour:
bright blue ◎ pale yellow ◎ dark brown. You can use a suitable noun before the colour to show what shade it is:
lemon yellow ◎ leaf green ◎ blood red.
- To say that a colour is quite similar to the colour that you are thinking of, you can use -ish with a colour:
a yellowish flower ◎ darkish brown hair, or you can use -y at the end of a colour + colour:
a browny colour.
- You can use two colours together to describe colours which seem to be a mixture of two different colours:
brown-black ◎ browny-black ◎ bluish-green ◎ reddish-purple.
- To talk about a colour in general, use the noun without a or the:
I like bright red. ◎ My favourite colour is blue. To talk about a particular colour or shade, use a with the noun for the colour:
It's a beautiful deep red. ◎ I've seen a shirt in a nice blue colour. To talk about a particular colour that you can see, use the:
You should wear the pink with the blue.
※ black & white
- the darkest colour possible: black
- very black: jet black, pitch black
jet black hair ◎ a pitch black night
- the colour of snow or milk: white
as white as snow ◎ bright white
- a slightly yellowy white; the colour of cream: cream
She wore a beautiful cream-coloured wedding dress.
- almost white: off-white
- a colour which is black mixed with white: grey (AmE gray)
dark grey ◎ He's got grey hair.
- a very dark grey: charcoal (grey)
- the colour of silver: silver
silver paint
※ red & pink
- the colour of blood: red
dark/deep red ◎ rose red ◎ blood red
- very dark red: crimson
- bright red: scarlet
- dark red-brown: maroon
- to become red: redden
His face reddened with anger.
- a dark colour which is a mixture of red and blue: purple, violet
- a light red colour: pink
a pale pink rose
- the pink colour of roses: rose (pink)
※ yellow & orange
- the colour of lemons or butter: yellow
light/pale yellow ◎ a bright yellow flower
- the colour of gold: gold, golden
They had painted the roof gold. ◎ golden brown
- the colour of oranges: orange
a bright orange scarf
※ green
- the colour of grass: green
pale green eyes
- a dark green-yellow colour: olive green
an olive green uniform
- a green-brown colour which is used in the army: khaki
- a very bright green colour: emerald (green)
an emerald silk shirt
- a bright yellow-green colour: lime green
※ blue
- the colour of the sky on a sunny day: blue
a light blue jumper ◎ a deep blue sky
- the bright blue colour of the sky on a sunny day: sky blue
- a blue-green colour: turquoise (blue)
- bright, deep blue: royal blue
- dark blue: navy (blue)
※ brown
- having the colour of soil or wood: brown
- light brown: beige, fawn
3 making sth coloured
- to put colour on sth (by using paint, coloured pencils, etc): colour sth
to colour a picture ◎ to colour your hair ◎ Someone had coloured the ceiling black.
- to put coloured paint on sth: paint sth
to paint a picture ◎ to paint a wall
- to fill a shape, a picture, etc with colour using pencils, pens, etc: colour sth in
The little girl drew a picture and coloured it in. ◎ Draw lots of circles and then colour them in.
※ drawing and painting DRAW, PAINT
- a substance that you use to make clothes or hair a different colour: dye (noun C/U); verb: dye sth
blue dye ◎ hair dye ◎ You've dyed your jeans. ◎ You've had your hair dyed.
- the dye which is already in the clothes when you buy them is usually called the colour
Don't wash it in very hot water - all the colour will come out.
- a clear liquid chemical that you can use to make clothes white or lighter in colour: bleach (noun U); verb: bleach sth
bleached jeans
- a special substance you use to make sth coloured (especially food): (food) colouring (noun C/U)
4 losing colour
- when the dye comes out of clothes in water, the colour runs*
Can I put this red shirt in with a white wash, or will it run?
- colours that are not likely to come out of the clothes when you wash them are fast
fast colours ◎ Are your jeans colour fast?
- if sth changes colour because of heat or sun, it loses* (its) colour, discolours; adjective: discoloured
When paper gets old it loses its colour. ◎ discoloured paper
- to lose colour because of heat, sun or a lot of washing: fade; adjective: faded
If you leave them in the sun, they'll fade. ◎ faded jeans
5 different colours together
- if two colours look nice together, they go* together, one of the colours goes* with the other
I think navy blue and red go well together. ◎ That blue doesn't really go with the orange.
- if two bright colours look bad together, they clash
The bright purple and the orange clash a bit.
- when a colour looks nice on you, it suits you
I'd prefer to wear blue - red doesn't really suit me.
- the way in which colours are arranged, especially in a room: colour scheme
I thought the house was nice but I didn't like the colour scheme in the living room.
※ MORE ...
- unable to see the difference between different colours: colour-blind
- the set of seven colours into which white light can be separated: spectrum
- the three colours (red, yellow and blue) which you can use to make any other colour: primary colours
|
|
