shade

Definitions

1. 1.Darkness; obscurity; -- often in the plural. The shades of night were falling fast. Longfellow.
2. 2.An obscure place; a spot not exposed to light; hence, a secluded retreat. Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there Weep our sad bosoms empty. Shak.
3. 3.That which intercepts, or shelters from, light or the direct rays of the sun; hence, also, that which protects from heat or currents of air; a screen; protection; shelter; cover; as, a lamp shade. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. Ps. cxxi.
4. 4.Sleep under a fresh tree's shade. Shak. Let the arched knife well sharpened now assail the spreading shades of vegetables. J. Philips.
5. 5.Shadow. [Poetic.] Envy will merit, as its shade, pursue. Pope.
6. 6.The soul after its separation from the body; -- so called because the ancients it to be perceptible to the sight, though not to the touch; a spirit; a ghost; as, the shades of departed heroes. Swift as thought the flitting shade Thro' air his momentary journey made. Dryden.
7. 7.(Painting, Drawing, etc.) The darker portion of a picture; a less illuminated part. See Def. 1, above.
8. 8.Degree or variation of color, as darker or lighter, stronger or paler; as, a delicate shade of pink. White, red, yellow, blue, with their several degrees, or shades and mixtures, as green only in by the eyes. Locke.
9. 9.A minute difference or variation, as of thought, belief, expression, etc.; also, the quality or degree of anything which is distinguished from others similar by slight differences; as, the shades of meaning in synonyms. New shades and combinations of thought. De Quincey. Every shade of religious and political opinion has its own headquarters. Macaulay. The Shades, the Nether World; the supposed abode of souls after leaving the body.
10. 10.To shelter or screen by intercepting the rays of light; to keep off illumination from. Milton. I went to crop the sylvan scenes, And shade our altars with their leafy greens. Dryden.
11. 11.To shelter; to cover from injury; to protect; to screen; to hide; as, to shade one's eyes. Ere in our own house I do shade my head. Shak.
12. 12.To obscure; to dim the brightness of. Thou shad'st The full blaze of thy beams. Milton.
13. 13.To pain in obscure colors; to darken.
14. 14.To mark with gradations of light or color.
15. 15.To present a shadow or image of; to shadow forth; to represent. [Obs.] [The goddess] in her person cunningly did shade That part of Justice which is Equity. Spenser.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "shade" mean?
• What is another word for "shade"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is shade.

• What is darkness; obscurity; -- often in the plural. The shades of night were falling fast. Longfellow called?
• What is an obscure place; a spot not exposed to light; hence, a secluded retreat. Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there Weep our sad bosoms empty. Shak called?
• What is sleep under a fresh tree's shade. Shak. Let the arched knife well sharpened now assail the spreading shades of vegetables. J. Philips called?
• What is shadow. [Poetic.] Envy will merit, as its shade, pursue. Pope called?
• What is the darker portion of a picture; a less illuminated part. See Def. 1, above called?
• What is to shelter or screen by intercepting the rays of light; to keep off illumination from. Milton. I went to crop the sylvan scenes, And shade our altars with their leafy greens. Dryden called?
• What is to shelter; to cover from injury; to protect; to screen; to hide; as, to shade one's eyes. Ere in our own house I do shade my head. Shak called?
• What is to obscure; to dim the brightness of. Thou shad'st The full blaze of thy beams. Milton called?
• What is to mark with gradations of light or color called?
• What is to present a shadow or image of; to shadow forth; to represent. [Obs.] [The goddess] in her person cunningly did shade That part of Justice which is Equity. Spenser called?