discoloration

[dis-kuhl-uh-rey-shuh n]

See more synonyms for discoloration on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act or fact of discoloring or the state of being discolored.
a discolored marking or area; stain.

Origin of discoloration

First recorded in 1635–45; discolor + -ation

Also called dis·col·or·ment.

Related formsself-dis·col·or·a·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for discoloration

blemish, splotch, blot, blotch

Examples from the Web for discoloration

Contemporary Examples of discoloration

The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray.
Who Designed Urban Outfitters's Bloody Kent State Shirt? They Won't Say
Asawin Suebsaeng
September 15, 2014
The disease causes depigmentation of sections of skin, resulting in discoloration.
Katherine Webb, Model Girlfriend of Alabama QB A.J. McCarron, Steals Show
Marlow Stern
January 9, 2013

Historical Examples of discoloration

This discoloration was of a livid blue, about the tint of a tattoo mark.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle
Inside the ship, the Nipe neither knew nor cared about the discoloration.
Anything You Can Do ...
Gordon Randall Garrett
This removed from white fabrics every vestige of discoloration or stain.
Mizora: A Prophecy
Mary E. Bradley
As I watched I observed that the discoloration was beginning to fade.
Allan's Wife
H. Rider Haggard
It was hardly more than a discoloration, and suggested nothing of consequence.
Waiting for Daylight
Henry Major Tomlinson

Word Origin and History for discoloration

n.

1640s, noun of action from discolorate (early 15c.), from past participle stem of Medieval Latin discolorare (see discolor) + -ation.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper