claret
Americannoun
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the red table wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France: originally it was light red or yellowish.
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a similar wine made elsewhere.
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Also called claret red. a deep purplish red.
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Slang. blood.
adjective
noun
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a red wine, esp one from the Bordeaux district of France
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a purplish-red colour
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( as adjective )
a claret carpet
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Etymology
Origin of claret
1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French claret, cleret, alteration, by suffix substitution, of Old French claré wine mixed with honey and herbs or spices < Medieval Latin clarātum, equivalent to Latin clār ( us ) clear + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Claret is a deep, purple-red color, as well as the name of a wine of the same hue. The color claret is named for the rich, jewel-toned red of claret wine, which is another name for wine from the French Bordeaux region. The term claret is mainly used in the U.K. — in France or the U.S. you'd just call it "Bordeaux." It originally referred to a pink wine once produced in that area, from the Latin root clarus, "light," but came to be associated with the darker red of a dry Bordeaux.
Vocabulary lists containing claret
Red
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"The Highwayman"
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was an emotional occasion for fans gathered in the city centre, where claret and blue smoke billowed from flares as flags were flown.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Schauffele went from the heaviest major trophy at the PGA Championship to the smallest and oldest, the famed claret jug that he will keep for a year.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2024
Initially called clairet, it became known as claret and scored its first international success, becoming the most consumed wine in Britain until the 19th century.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
My mate Gav and I have been the claret and blue army in Warsaw since the mid-1990s.
From BBC • Sep. 21, 2023
"You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy," I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
