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# colouration

noun (colouration, uncountable; US spelling coloration)

«colouration» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Colouration is the pattern and mix of colours on an animal or plant, such as the stripes of a tiger or the spots on a ladybird. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#m1)
2. Colouration can mean the way something is coloured in general, including a slight colour or tint. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons about adaptation, colouration helps animals survive: camouflage colouration hides them (a stick insect, a snowy owl), and warning colouration tells predators «I am poisonous» (a poison dart frog, a wasp's yellow and black). Some animals copy the warning colours of others (mimicry). Phrases: warning colouration, camouflage colouration, bright colouration, protective colouration.

### Examples

- The snake's bright colouration warns birds to stay away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x1)
- The moth's colouration matches the tree bark. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x2)
- Male birds often have brighter colouration than females. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x3)
- The frog's colouration changes as it grows. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x4)
- Warning colouration is common in poisonous animals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x5)
- The leaf's colouration turned red and gold in autumn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x6)
- Scientists studied the colouration of the butterflies' wings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x7)
- The fish's colouration helps it hide among the coral. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x8)

### Note

Uncountable: «Its colouration is green», not «a colouration» in most cases. UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ and Canada usually spell it «colouration» (with u); the US spells it «coloration». Pronounced «kul-uh-RAY-shun». A more formal, science word for «colours and pattern». Related: colour, colourful, discoloured.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «colouration» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«colouration» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/colouration.html) on Mova free.