Main Entry: col·or·a·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌkə-lə-ˈrā-shən\

Function: noun

Date: 1617

1 a : the state of being colored <the dark coloration of his skin> b : use or choice of colors (as by an artist) c : arrangement of colors <the coloration of a butterfly's wing>
2 a : characteristic quality <the newspapers…took on the former coloration of the magazine — L. B. Seltzer> b : aspect suggesting an attitude : persuasion <the chameleon talent for taking on the intellectual coloration of whatever idea he happened to fasten onto — Budd Schulberg>
3 : subtle variation of intensity or quality of tone <a wide range of coloration from the orchestra>