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colour

more about colour

colour


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Color  \Col"or\,  n.  [Written  also  {colour}.]  [OF.  color,  colur, 
  colour,  F.  couleur,  L.  color;  prob.  akin  to  celare  to  conceal 
  (the  color  taken  as  that  which  covers).  See  {Helmet}.] 
  1.  A  property  depending  on  the  relations  of  light  to  the  eye, 
  by  which  individual  and  specific  differences  in  the  hues 
  and  tints  of  objects  are  apprehended  in  vision;  as  gay 
  colors;  sad  colors,  etc 
 
  Note:  The  sensation  of  color  depends  upon  a  peculiar  function 
  of  the  retina  or  optic  nerve,  in  consequence  of  which 
  rays  of  light  produce  different  effects  according  to 
  the  length  of  their  waves  or  undulations,  waves  of  a 
  certain  length  producing  the  sensation  of  red,  shorter 
  waves  green,  and  those  still  shorter  blue,  etc  White, 
  or  ordinary,  light  consists  of  waves  of  various  lengths 
  so  blended  as  to  produce  no  effect  of  color,  and  the 
  color  of  objects  depends  upon  their  power  to  absorb  or 
  reflect  a  greater  or  less  proportion  of  the  rays  which 
  fall  upon  them 
 
  2.  Any  hue  distinguished  from  white  or  black. 
 
  3.  The  hue  or  color  characteristic  of  good  health  and 
  spirits;  ruddy  complexion. 
 
  Give  color  to  my  pale  cheek.  --Shak. 
 
  4.  That  which  is  used  to  give  color;  a  paint;  a  pigment;  as 
  oil  colors  or  water  colors. 
 
  5.  That  which  covers  or  hides  the  real  character  of  anything 
  semblance;  excuse;  disguise;  appearance. 
 
  They  had  let  down  the  boat  into  the  sea,  under  color 
  as  though  they  would  have  cast  anchors  out  of  the 
  foreship.  --Acts  xxvii. 
  30. 
 
  That  he  should  die  is  worthy  policy;  But  yet  we  want 
  a  color  for  his  death.  --Shak. 
 
  6.  Shade  or  variety  of  character;  kind  species. 
 
  Boys  and  women  are  for  the  most  part  cattle  of  this 
  color.  --Shak. 
 
  7.  A  distinguishing  badge,  as  a  flag  or  similar  symbol 
  (usually  in  the  plural);  as  the  colors  or  color  of  a  ship 
  or  regiment;  the  colors  of  a  race  horse  (that  is  of  the 
  cap  and  jacket  worn  by  the  jockey). 
 
  In  the  United  States  each  regiment  of  infantry  and 
  artillery  has  two  colors,  one  national  and  one 
  regimental.  --Farrow. 
 
  8.  (Law)  An  apparent  right  as  where  the  defendant  in 
  trespass  gave  to  the  plaintiff  an  appearance  of  title,  by 
  stating  his  title  specially,  thus  removing  the  cause  from 
  the  jury  to  the  court.  --Blackstone. 
 
  Note:  Color  is  express  when  it  is  averred  in  the  pleading, 
  and  implied  when  it  is  implied  in  the  pleading. 
 
  {Body  color}.  See  under  {Body}. 
 
  {Color  blindness},  total  or  partial  inability  to  distinguish 
  or  recognize  colors.  See  {Daltonism}. 
 
  {Complementary  color},  one  of  two  colors  so  related  to  each 
  other  that  when  blended  together  they  produce  white  light; 
  --  so  called  because  each  color  makes  up  to  the  other  what 
  it  lacks  to  make  it  white.  Artificial  or  pigment  colors, 
  when  mixed,  produce  effects  differing  from  those  of  the 
  primary  colors,  in  consequence  of  partial  absorption. 
 
  {Of  color}  (as  persons,  races,  etc.),  not  of  the  white  race; 
  --  commonly  meaning,  esp.  in  the  United  States,  of  negro 
  blood,  pure  or  mixed. 
 
  {Primary  colors},  those  developed  from  the  solar  beam  by  the 
  prism,  viz.,  red,  orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo,  and 
  violet,  which  are  reduced  by  some  authors  to  three  -- 
  red,  green,  and  violet-blue.  These  three  are  sometimes 
  called  {fundamental  colors}. 
 
  {Subjective}  or  {Accidental  color},  a  false  or  spurious  color 
  seen  in  some  instances,  owing  to  the  persistence  of  the 
  luminous  impression  upon  the  retina,  and  a  gradual  change 
  of  its  character,  as  where  a  wheel  perfectly  white,  and 
  with  a  circumference  regularly  subdivided,  is  made  to 
  revolve  rapidly  over  a  dark  object,  the  teeth  of  the  wheel 
  appear  to  the  eye  of  different  shades  of  color  varying 
  with  the  rapidity  of  rotation.  See  {Accidental  colors}, 
  under  {Accidental}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Colour  \Col"our\,  n. 
  See  {Color}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  colour 
  adj  :  (photography)  "color  film";  "he  rented  a  color  television"; 
  "in  glorious  color";  "marvelous  color  illustrations" 
  [syn:  {color}]  [ant:  {black-and-white}] 
  n  1:  a  race  with  skin  pigmentation  different  from  the  white  race 
  (especially  Blacks)  [syn:  {color},  {people  of  color},  {people 
  of  colour}] 
  2:  interest  and  variety  and  intensity:  "the  Puritan  Period  was 
  lacking  in  color"  [syn:  {color},  {vividness}] 
  3:  the  timbre  of  a  musical  sound;  "the  recording  fails  to 
  capture  the  true  color  of  the  original  music"  [syn:  {color}] 
  4:  a  visual  attribute  of  things  that  results  from  the  light 
  they  emit  or  transmit  or  reflect;  "white  is  the  coolest 
  summer  color"  [syn:  {color},  {coloring},  {colouring}] 
  [ant:  {colorlessness}] 
  5:  outward  or  token  appearance  or  form  "he  tried  to  give  his 
  actions  a  semblance  of  authenticity";  "the  situation  soon 
  took  on  a  different  color"  [syn:  {semblance},  {color}] 
  v  1:  decorate  with  colors  [syn:  {color},  {emblazon}] 
  2:  add  color  to  [syn:  {color},  {color  in},  {colour  in}] 
  3:  change  color,  often  in  an  undesired  manner;  "The  shirts 
  discolored"  [syn:  {discolor},  {discolour}] 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  colour 
 
    (US  "color")  Colours  are  usually  represented  as 
  {RGB}  triples  in  a  {digital}  {image}  because  this  corresponds 
  most  closely  to  the  electronic  signals  needed  to  drive  a 
  {CRT}.  Several  equivalent  systems  ("{colour  models}")  exist, 
  e.g.  {HSB}.  A  colour  {image}  may  be  stored  as  three  separate 
  images,  one  for  each  of  red,  green,  and  blue,  or  each  {pixel} 
  may  encode  the  colour  using  separate  {bit-fields}  for  each 
  colour  component,  or  each  pixel  may  store  a  logical  colour 
  number  which  is  looked  up  in  a  hardware  {colour  palette}  to 
  find  the  colour  to  display. 
 
  Printers  may  use  the  {CMYK}  or  {Pantone}  representations  of 
  colours  as  well  as  RGB. 
 
  (1999-08-02) 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Colour 
  The  subject  of  colours  holds  an  important  place  in  the 
  Scriptures. 
 
  White  occurs  as  the  translation  of  various  Hebrew  words  It  is 
  applied  to  milk  (Gen.  49:12),  manna  (Ex.  16:31),  snow  (Isa. 
  1:18),  horses  (Zech.  1:8),  raiment  (Eccl.  9:8).  Another  Hebrew 
  word  so  rendered  is  applied  to  marble  (Esther  1:6),  and  a 
  cognate  word  to  the  lily  (Cant.  2:16).  A  different  term,  meaning 
  "dazzling,"  is  applied  to  the  countenance  (Cant.  5:10). 
 
  This  colour  was  an  emblem  of  purity  and  innocence  (Mark  16:5; 
  John  20:12;  Rev.  19:8,  14),  of  joy  (Eccl.  9:8),  and  also  of 
  victory  (Zech.  6:3;  Rev.  6:2).  The  hangings  of  the  tabernacle 
  court  (Ex.  27:9;  38:9),  the  coats,  mitres,  bonnets,  and  breeches 
  of  the  priests  (Ex.  39:27,28),  and  the  dress  of  the  high  priest 
  on  the  day  of  Atonement  (Lev.  16:4,32),  were  white. 
 
  Black,  applied  to  the  hair  (Lev.  13:31;  Cant.  5:11),  the 
  complexion  (Cant.  1:5),  and  to  horses  (Zech.  6:2,6).  The  word 
  rendered  brown"  in  Gen.  30:32  (R.V.,  "black")  means  properly 
  "scorched",  i.e.,  the  colour  produced  by  the  influence  of  the 
  sun's  rays.  Black"  in  Job  30:30  means  dirty,  blackened  by 
  sorrow  and  disease.  The  word  is  applied  to  a  mourner's  robes 
  (Jer.  8:21;  14:2),  to  a  clouded  sky  (1  Kings  18:45),  to  night 
  (Micah  3:6;  Jer.  4:28),  and  to  a  brook  rendered  turbid  by  melted 
  snow  (Job  6:16).  It  is  used  as  symbolical  of  evil  in  Zech.  6:2, 
  6  and  Rev.  6:5.  It  was  the  emblem  of  mourning,  affliction, 
  calamity  (Jer.  14:2;  Lam.  4:8;  5:10). 
 
  Red,  applied  to  blood  (2  Kings  3;22),  a  heifer  (Num.  19:2), 
  pottage  of  lentils  (Gen.  25:30),  a  horse  (Zech.  1:8),  wine 
  (Prov.  23:31),  the  complexion  (Gen.  25:25;  Cant.  5:10).  This 
  colour  is  symbolical  of  bloodshed  (Zech.  6:2;  Rev.  6:4;  12:3). 
 
  Purple,  a  colour  obtained  from  the  secretion  of  a  species  of 
  shell-fish  (the  Murex  trunculus)  which  was  found  in  the 
  Mediterranean,  and  particularly  on  the  coasts  of  Phoenicia  and 
  Asia  Minor.  The  colouring  matter  in  each  separate  shell-fish 
  amounted  to  only  a  single  drop,  and  hence  the  great  value  of 
  this  dye.  Robes  of  this  colour  were  worn  by  kings  (Judg.  8:26) 
  and  high  officers  (Esther  8:15).  They  were  also  worn  by  the 
  wealthy  and  luxurious  (Jer.  10:9;  Ezek.  27:7;  Luke  16:19;  Rev. 
  17:4).  With  this  colour  was  associated  the  idea  of  royalty  and 
  majesty  (Judg.  8:26;  Cant.  3:10;  7:5;  Dan.  5:7,  16,29). 
 
  Blue.  This  colour  was  also  procured  from  a  species  of 
  shell-fish,  the  chelzon  of  the  Hebrews,  and  the  Helix  ianthina 
  of  modern  naturalists.  The  tint  was  emblematic  of  the  sky,  the 
  deep  dark  hue  of  the  Eastern  sky.  This  colour  was  used  in  the 
  same  way  as  purple.  The  ribbon  and  fringe  of  the  Hebrew  dress 
  were  of  this  colour  (Num.  15:38).  The  loops  of  the  curtains  (Ex. 
  26:4),  the  lace  of  the  high  priest's  breastplate,  the  robe  of 
  the  ephod,  and  the  lace  on  his  mitre,  were  blue  (Ex.  28:28,  31, 
  37). 
 
  Scarlet,  or  Crimson.  In  Isa.  1:18  a  Hebrew  word  is  used  which 
  denotes  the  worm  or  grub  whence  this  dye  was  procured.  In  Gen. 
  38:28,30,  the  word  so  rendered  means  "to  shine,"  and  expresses 
  the  brilliancy  of  the  colour.  The  small  parasitic  insects  from 
  which  this  dye  was  obtained  somewhat  resembled  the  cochineal 
  which  is  found  in  Eastern  countries.  It  is  called  by  naturalists 
  Coccus  ilics  The  dye  was  procured  from  the  female  grub  alone. 
  The  only  natural  object  to  which  this  colour  is  applied  in 
  Scripture  is  the  lips,  which  are  likened  to  a  scarlet  thread 
  (Cant.  4:3).  Scarlet  robes  were  worn  by  the  rich  and  luxurious 
  (2  Sam.  1:24;  Prov.  31:21;  Jer.  4:30.  Rev.  17:4).  It  was  also 
  the  hue  of  the  warrior's  dress  (Nah.  2:3;  Isa.  9:5).  The 
  Phoenicians  excelled  in  the  art  of  dyeing  this  colour  (2  Chr. 
  2:7). 
 
  These  four  colours--white,  purple,  blue,  and  scarlet--were 
  used  in  the  textures  of  the  tabernacle  curtains  (Ex.  26:1,  31, 
  36),  and  also  in  the  high  priest's  ephod,  girdle,  and 
  breastplate  (Ex.  28:5,  6,  8,  15).  Scarlet  thread  is  mentioned  in 
  connection  with  the  rites  of  cleansing  the  leper  (Lev.  14:4,  6, 
  51)  and  of  burning  the  red  heifer  (Num.  19:6).  It  was  a  crimson 
  thread  that  Rahab  was  to  bind  on  her  window  as  a  sign  that  she 
  was  to  be  saved  alive  (Josh.  2:18;  6:25)  when  the  city  of 
  Jericho  was  taken 
 
  Vermilion,  the  red  sulphuret  of  mercury,  or  cinnabar;  a  colour 
  used  for  drawing  the  figures  of  idols  on  the  walls  of  temples 
  (Ezek.  23:14),  or  for  decorating  the  walls  and  beams  of  houses 
  (Jer.  22:14). 
 




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