What does encoloured mean?
Encoloured is a rare British verb meaning to give colour to something or tint it with a particular hue. As the past tense or past participle of encolour, it occurs in both active and passive constructions: an artist may encolour a material, while a landscape may be encoloured by sunlight. It can also function as an adjective, as in “the encoloured sky,” where the word indicates that colour has been imparted by light, atmosphere, or some other influence. The word has a formal, literary tone and is now much less common than coloured, tinted, or dyed. Its unusual form nevertheless preserves a clear English pattern: the prefix en- is joined to colour to suggest the act of making something coloured. Encoloured is therefore useful as an example of a precise but dated vocabulary choice, as well as a recognizable member of the wider colour family that includes colour, decolour, and discolour.
To give colour to something; to tint it.
"The dyer encoloured the wool with deep crimson."
Usually past tense or past participle, and chiefly British in modern usage.
Having been given colour or tint, especially by light or another visual influence.
"Clouds gathered over the encoloured horizon."
This is a participial adjective formed from the verb encolour.
A sunset does not merely change the colour of the sky; it encolours it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does encoloured come from?
The English verb encolour was formed with the prefix en-, meaning in or into, joined to colour. Colour entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman French couleour and ultimately derives from Latin color, the same source of the modern spellings colour and color. Related verbs such as decolour and discolour belong to the same colour-forming family, although encolour itself is now largely literary or archaic.
Related word forms
How encoloured is actually used
Rare, formal or literary, and chiefly British. The US spelling is encolored, but both forms are uncommon in ordinary contemporary English.
Easily confused with encoloured
Enamoured means deeply delighted by someone or something, whereas encoloured means given colour or tint.