coloration

[kuhl-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. appearance with regard to color arrangement or use of colors; coloring.

   the bold coloration of some birds.

coloration

/ ˌkʌləˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. arrangement of colour and tones; colouring

2. the colouring or markings of insects, birds, etc See also apatetic aposematic cryptic

3. unwanted extraneous variations in the frequency response of a loudspeaker or listening environment

Other Word Forms

• colorational adjective
• colorationally adverb
• decoloration noun
• overcoloration noun
• precoloration noun
• recoloration noun
• transcoloration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coloration¹

First recorded in 1605–15; color + -ation

Example Sentences

According to the researchers, this achievement not only deepens our understanding of the biological and chemical foundations of animal coloration, but also highlights a powerful new biotechnology.

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Not done waxing poetic about the eyes on the veritable Redford of retrievers, Leonberg also pointed out another benefit of his dog’s particular coloration.

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He recalled attending a meeting some years ago when GOP leaders gathered to discuss Colorado’s increasingly blue coloration.

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The administration initially tried to give the NIH cuts a partisan coloration, suggesting that academic centers in blue states are fattening up on “indirect” research funding.

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Arhgap36, a protein involved in many aspects of embryonic development, wasn’t previously known to affect skin or hair coloration.

Read more on Science Magazine

Related Words

• glow 
• hue 
• intensity 
• paint