hue

¹ American  

[hyoo, yoo] / hyu, yu /

noun

1. a gradation or variety of a color; tint.

   pale hues.

2. the property of light by which the color of an object is classified as red, blue, green, or yellow in reference to the spectrum.

3. color.

   all the hues of the rainbow.

4. form or appearance.

5. complexion.

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hue ² American  

[hyoo] / hyu /

noun

1. outcry, as of pursuers; clamor.

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Hué ³ American  

[hwey] / ʰweɪ /

noun

1. a seaport in central Vietnam: former capital of Annam.

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Hué ¹ British  

/ ɥe /

noun

1. a port in central Vietnam, on the delta of the Hué River near the South China Sea: former capital of the kingdom of Annam, of French Indochina (1883–1946), and of Central Vietnam (1946–54). Pop: 377 000 (2005 est)

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hue ² British  

/ hjuː /

noun

1. the attribute of colour that enables an observer to classify it as red, green, blue, purple, etc, and excludes white, black, and shades of grey See also colour

2. a shade of a colour

3. aspect; complexion

   a different hue on matters

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hue Scientific  

/ hyo̅o̅ /

1. The property of colors by which they are seen as ranging from red through orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, as determined by the dominant wavelength of the light.

2. Compare saturation value

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Other Word Forms

• hueless adjective

Etymology

Origin of hue¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hewe, Old English hīw “appearance, color, form”; cognate with Old Norse hȳ “bird's down,” Swedish hy “complexion, skin,” Gothic hiwi “appearance, form”; akin to Old English hār “gray” ( hoar )

Origin of hue²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English hu(e), from Middle French: “a hoot, outcry” (whence huer “to hoot, cry out”)

Example Sentences

I reached toward the intertwined branches, their leaves illuminated by the golden hue of the evening sun.

From Literature

In the firelight, the vessels glinted and glowed, splashing the hollow in jeweled hues.

From Literature

This is because the sunlight it reflects reaches us through a more dense part of the Earth's atmosphere which scatters blue and violet light, and means only the redder hues reach us.

From BBC

The most technical definitions rely on comparison: lighter than one hue, deeper than another.

From The Wall Street Journal

Red hues are a sign of a very strong geomagnetic storm.

From BBC

Related Words

• complexion
• tinge
• tint
• tone