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.
You can be blue or tangerine, red or black, claret and amber - everybody has some sort of skin in the game, some reason to be gripped.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
There were calls of "Carlo" - Italian for Charles - from crowds waiting to see the royal visitors and local media also seemed interested by their car, the claret coloured State Bentley.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2025
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
“They talked about the claret, sir. They said how good it was. They ordered a second bottle with their dinner.”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
