nuance

WOTD - 1 February 2007    

Wikipedia

See also Nuance

English

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈnuː.ɑːns/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Etymology

From the French nuance meaning "shade" or "hue".

Noun

Singular nuance

Plural {{{1}}}

nuance ({{{1}}})

1. A minor distinction.
2. Subtlety or fine detail.

   Understanding the basics is easy; appreciating the nuances takes years.

   • 1901: Alpheus Spring Packard, Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution

     ...the richer our collections become, the more numerous are the proofs that all is more or less shaded (nuance), that the remarkable differences become obliterated...

Derived terms

• nuanced

Translations

minor distinction

Russian: нюанс (njuáns) m.

Swedish: nyans c.

subtlety or fine detail

Croatian: nuance f., osjetljivost f. Dutch: nuance f., subtiliteit f. Finnish: nyanssi, vivahde French: nuance f., subtilité f. German: Nuance f.

Polish: niuans m., subtelność f. Russian: нюанс (njuáns) m., тонкость (tónkost’) f. Spanish: matiz f. Swedish: nyans c.

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French

Etymology

From verb nuer and suffix -ance

Pronunciation

•  audio^{help, file}

Noun

nuance f. (plural nuances)

1. nuance

Elsewhere on the web

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