Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: COLOURS

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin pallidus; PALLID

pale

1 adjective
     
pale1 W3
1MI having a skin colour that is very white, or whiter than it usually is:
He looked very pale and drawn.
He suddenly went pale.
Sharon went deathly pale and looked as if she might faint.
an elderly, pale-faced woman
2CC a pale colour has more white in it than usual [↪ deep; = light]:
pale blue curtains
3 pale light is not bright:
the pale gray dawn
4

pale imitation (of something)

something that is similar to, but not as good as, something else:
The cheese is a pale imitation of real Parmesan.
WORD FOCUS: colour WORD FOCUS: colour
a particular kind of colour: shade, hint, hue
words for describing dark colours: dark, deep, rich
words for describing light colours: light, pale, soft, pastel
words for describing bright colours: bright, brilliant, vivid, garish disapproving, gaudy disapproving
having a lot of colours: colourful, multicoloured British English/multicolored American English

➔ See also colour
Definition of pale from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
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