decolor

especially British, de·col·our

[dee-kuhl-er]

verb (used with object)

1. to remove the color from; deprive of color; bleach.

Other Word Forms

• decoloration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decolor¹

1400–50; late Middle English decolouren < Latin dēcolōrāre, equivalent to dē- de- + colōrāre to color

Example Sentences

This extracts the chlorophyll, but a microscopic examination of the decolored cells shows that the bands remain unchanged, except for the absence of color.

From Project Gutenberg

Antonyms: progress, advancement, improvement. decolor, v. decolorate, decolorize. decorate, v. embellish, adorn, beautify, ornament, garnish, enrich, trim, bedizen, bedeck. decorated, a. embellished, ornate, ornamented, trimmed.

From Project Gutenberg

Cover the dish with a conical chimney made of tin and expose to the upper opening the flowers that are to be decolored.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon after bunches of white hair appeared on the occiput, and in the succeeding years small patches of decolored hairs were observed also on the anterior and lateral portions of the scalp.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• lighten