Definition of coloration
1a
: the state of having color
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
2a
: characteristic quality
the newspapers … took on the former coloration of the magazine— L. B. Seltzer
b
: aspect suggesting an attitude
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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The first known use of coloration was in 1626
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