Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To alter or spoil the color of; stain.
  • intransitive verb To become altered or spoiled in color.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To alter the natural hue or color of; change to a different color or shade; stain; tinge.
  • To alter the complexion of; change the appearance of; give a false appearance to.
  • In zoology and botany, of varied or different colors; variegated; discolorous; not concolor: said of any single object.
  • In zoology, differing in color, as one thing from another; discolorate; not concolor: usually with with: as, elytra discolor with the thorax.
  • Also discolorous, discolorate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To alter the natural hue or color of; to change to a different color; to stain; to tinge
  • transitive verb To alter the true complexion or appearance of; to put a false hue upon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To change or lose color.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb lose color or turn colorless
  • verb cause to lose or change color
  • verb change color, often in an undesired manner

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English discolouren, from Old French discolerer : des-, dis- + colourer, to color (from Latin colōrāre, from color, color; see color).]

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