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# colouration

«colouration» in Mova's school dictionary: **the pattern and mix of colours on an animal or plant…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (colouration, uncountable; US spelling coloration)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Colouration is the pattern and mix of colours on an animal or plant, such as the stripes of a tiger or the spots on a ladybird. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#m1)

2) Colouration can mean the way something is coloured in general, including a slight colour or tint. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about adaptation, colouration helps animals survive: camouflage colouration hides them (a stick insect, a snowy owl), and warning colouration tells predators «I am poisonous» (a poison dart frog, a wasp's yellow and black). Some animals copy the warning colours of others (mimicry). Phrases: warning colouration, camouflage colouration, bright colouration, protective colouration.

### examples

- The snake's bright colouration warns birds to stay away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x1)
- The moth's colouration matches the tree bark. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x2)
- Male birds often have brighter colouration than females. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x3)
- The frog's colouration changes as it grows. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x4)
- Warning colouration is common in poisonous animals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x5)
- The leaf's colouration turned red and gold in autumn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x6)
- Scientists studied the colouration of the butterflies' wings. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x7)
- The fish's colouration helps it hide among the coral. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/#x8)

### note

Uncountable: «Its colouration is green», not «a colouration» in most cases. UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ and Canada usually spell it «colouration» (with u); the US spells it «coloration». Pronounced «kul-uh-RAY-shun». A more formal, science word for «colours and pattern». Related: colour, colourful, discoloured.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «colouration» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/colouration/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.