ombre
ombre Lexical Profile
ombre Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having colors or tones that shade or graduate into each other, typically transitioning from light to dark (especially of fabrics, hair, or decorative designs).
"She chose a sheer ombre curtain that faded softly from ivory at the top to deep navy at the hem."
• noun
A color pattern, dyeing technique, or hair-coloring style in which hues or tones blend gradually from light to dark.
"The stylist specialized in subtle caramel ombre that looked natural in the sunlight."
A trick-taking card game of Spanish origin played by three people using a forty-card deck, immensely popular in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
"Alexander Pope's famous poem 'The Rape of the Lock' features a dramatic game of ombre at Hampton Court."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'ombre' (often spelled 'ombré', referring to a shaded color gradient or a historical card game) with 'hombre', an informal loanword from Spanish meaning a man or fellow.
• Rhymes for ombre
Word Origin & Etymology
In its color-blending sense, the word comes from French 'ombré', the past participle of 'ombrer' (to shade), ultimately from Latin 'umbra' (shadow). The historical card game sense derives from Spanish 'hombre' (man), referring to the player who bids against the others.