Paler

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a lighter or less intense color or complexion compared to another
2. Showing reduced color or brightness, often due to less pigment or health
3. Appearing less vivid or washed-out in tone, often from fading or lack of sunlight

Etymology: The comparative of "pale" is simple in form, but the adjective it comes from has an unexpected family. "Pale" entered English in the Middle Ages from Old French "pale", which came from Latin "pallidus", meaning pale or pallid. That Latin word grew from the verb "palleo", "to be pale or to fade", and it is a doublet of "pallid", meaning the two arrived in English by different routes from the same source. The native English word for this idea was "blāc", which meant shining, pale, or bleached. The Old French borrowing displaced it, so the older word disappeared from the colour sense, leaving a Latin-derived term as the everyday word for lacking colour. Because "paler" is the comparative of "pale", it simply means more pale, formed by adding the ending "-er" to the base word.

Synonyms: lighter, fainter, dimmer, washed-out, less vivid

Antonyms: darker, brighter, richer, more vivid, more intense