DISCOLORATION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does discoloration mean? 

• DISCOLORATION (noun)
  The noun DISCOLORATION has 2 senses:

1. a soiled or discolored appearance

2. the act of changing the natural color of something by making it duller or dingier or unnatural or faded

  Familiarity information: DISCOLORATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISCOLORATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A soiled or discolored appearance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

discoloration; discolouration; stain

Context example:

the wine left a dark stain

Hypernyms ("discoloration" is a kind of...):

appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "discoloration"):

scorch (a discoloration caused by heat)

bloodstain (a discoloration caused by blood)

iron mold; iron mould (a spot caused the staining with rust or ink)

mud stain (a stain produced by mud)

oil stain (a stain produced by oil)

tarnish (discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation)

Derivation:

discolor (change color, often in an undesired manner)

discolor (cause to lose or change color)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of changing the natural color of something by making it duller or dingier or unnatural or faded

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

discoloration; discolouration

Hypernyms ("discoloration" is a kind of...):

change of color (an act that changes the light that something reflects)

Derivation:

discolor (change color, often in an undesired manner)

discolor (cause to lose or change color)

 Context examples 

I noticed a black discoloration, still faintly visible, under Johansen’s eye, a mark of the thrashing he had received a few nights before from the sailor.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

He was pointing to faint discolorations along the woodwork of the window.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Red discoloration of the skin caused by infectious agents, drug hypersensitivity, or underlying diseases.

(Erythema, NCI Thesaurus)

Any white discoloration of the nails or nail plates.

(Leukonychia, NCI Thesaurus)

A recurrent purple discoloration of the skin involving most often the lower extremities.

(Livedo Reticularis, NCI Thesaurus)

Irregularly shaped, patchy discolorations in the skin.

(Mottled Skin, NCI Thesaurus)

Symmetrical patches of tan or brown discoloration on the skin of the face that darken with sun exposure.

(Melasma, NCI Thesaurus)

A finding indicating the presence of dark discoloration on the mucosal surface.

(Dusky Mucosa, NCI Thesaurus)

Specific types of nail discoloration and changes in growth rate can be signs of lung, heart, kidney, and liver diseases, as well as diabetes and anemia.

(Nail Diseases, NIH)

An adhesive restorative material, available in a number of shades to match patients' teeth, used for restoring teeth, correcting tooth discolorations, or cosmetic tooth enhancements.

(Bonding Restorative Material, NCI Thesaurus)