Main Entry:

¹shade

Pronunciation:

\ˈshād\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English sceadu; akin to Old High German scato shadow, Greek skotos darkness

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: comparative darkness or obscurity owing to interception of the rays of light b: relative obscurity or retirement2 a: shelter (as by foliage) from the heat and glare of sunlight b: a place sheltered from the sun3: an evanescent or unreal appearance4plural a: the shadows that gather as darkness comes on b: netherworld, hades5 a: a disembodied spirit : ghost b—used to signal the similarity between a previously encountered person or situation and one at hand ; usually used in plural <shades of my childhood>6: something that intercepts or shelters from light, sun, or heat: as a: a device partially covering a lamp so as to reduce glare b: a flexible screen usually mounted on a roller for regulating the light or the view through a window cplural : sunglasses 7 a: the reproduction of the effect of shade in painting or drawing b: a subdued or somber feature8 a: a color produced by a pigment or dye mixture having some black in it b: a color slightly different from the one under consideration9 a: a minute difference or variation : nuance b: a minute degree or quantity10: a facial expression of sadness or displeasure

— shade·less \-ləs\ adjective