Tinge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /tɪnd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. A delicate shadow of hue or taste contributes to an object's charm
2. A minor hint of coloration or essence can enrich the overall experience
3. A faint or subtle coloration or tint added to an object or surface ; a slight trace or touch of a particular quality or feeling present in something

Etymology: Latin "tingere" meant "to dip, moisten, colour, or dye," and English took the verb from it, so a tinge was once something done to a thing rather than a faint hue on its surface. Its literal sense of dipping or soaking in colour is the root of its modern sense: a slight dye laid over something, which then came to mean a small trace of a quality. The noun was formed afterward from the verb, so the colour sense came first in the verb and the figurative sense grew from it. The Latin verb itself belongs to the family of "tingō," the same root that gave the same meanings to its descendants in other languages. Its basic idea of wetting or staining is what keeps the word tied to pigment rather than to any abstract notion of degree.

Synonyms: shade, tinge, color, hue

Antonyms: blanch, whiten