SHADE
What does "SHADE" mean?
An area of relative darkness where direct light is blocked.
Meanings
- Comparative darkness caused by something blocking light. They ate lunch in the shade of an oak.
- A particular variety or gradation of a color. She painted the door a deep shade of blue.
- A device that screens or dims light, such as a lampshade or window blind. He pulled the shade down against the afternoon sun.
- A subtle difference or small amount. Her tone carried a shade of regret.
- A subtle public insult or disrespect ('throwing shade'). She threw shade at her rival without ever raising her voice. informal
- To shield from light, or to darken part of a drawing. He shaded the sketch to give the apple depth.
Did you know?
- The slang 'throwing shade', rooted in 1980s ballroom culture and shown in the 1990 film 'Paris Is Burning', was formally added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary in 2017.
Word origin
From Old English 'sceadu' (shade, shadow, darkness), from Proto-Germanic 'skadwo', related to Greek 'skotos' (darkness).
Remember it
SHADE is one letter short of SHADOW - drop the OW, keep the cool dark patch the OW would've shouted in.
A little poem
The tree keeps a pool
of cool blue on the hot ground-
free, and asking nothing.
haiku
Wordplay
- She picked the perfect paint and then insulted my old one - that's the only time throwing shade improved the room.
What it teaches
The same word covers shelter and subtle insult - which one you cast says everything about you.
Quick facts
What does SHADE mean?
An area of relative darkness where direct light is blocked.
Is SHADE a valid word?
Yes — SHADE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SHADE?
SHADE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SHADE come from?
From Old English 'sceadu' (shade, shadow, darkness), from Proto-Germanic 'skadwo', related to Greek 'skotos' (darkness).
What can SHADE teach us?
The same word covers shelter and subtle insult - which one you cast says everything about you.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.