nuance
/ˈnuːɑːns/
noun
Origin
Old French
nuer — to shade
Overview
Meaning Now
- A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
- A very slight degree of difference.
Literal older meaning
shade, hue
Language path
Old French → Middle French → French → English
Earliest form
nuance
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The word stems from the notion of clouds (Latin 'nubes') acting as a veil or shading, which in Old French ('nuer') evolved to refer to the graduation or blending of colors. In English, it retained this sense of 'color shade' before broadening to encompass subtle distinctions in thought and expression.
Evolution
- Latin
nubes
“cloud”
- Old French
nuer
“to make shades of color”
- French
nuance
“shade, tint, subtle distinction”
Evolved to describe the quality of being shaded or nuanced.
- English (18th century)
nuance
“a subtle distinction”
Adopted directly as a loanword.
Connections
Word parts
nuance
root
subtle shade or variation
Explore next
Related to nuance
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.