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 retirement
2 a : shelter (as by foliage) from the heat and glare of sunlight b : a place sheltered from the sun
3 : an evanescent or unreal appearance
4 plural a : the shadows that gather as darkness comes on b : netherworld, hades
5 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 c plural : sunglasses
7 a : the reproduction of the effect of shade in painting or drawing b : a subdued or somber feature
8 a : a color produced by a pigment or dye mixture having some black in it b : a color slightly different from the one under consideration
9 a : a minute difference or variation : nuance b : a minute degree or quantity
10 : a facial expression of sadness or displeasure

— shade·less \-ləs\ adjective