tricolour
|tri-col-our|
🇺🇸
/ˈtraɪkələr/
🇬🇧
/ˈtraɪkələ/
three-coloured
Etymology
'tricolour' originates from English, formed from the prefix 'tri-' (from Latin 'tri-' meaning 'three') + 'colour' (from Old French 'colour', from Latin 'color'), where 'tri-' meant 'three' and 'colour' meant 'colour/colouration'.
'tricolour' entered English influenced by French 'tricolore' (18th century, used for the French revolutionary flag) and by the combination of Latin-derived prefix and the Middle English/French word for colour, eventually becoming the established English form 'tricolour'.
Initially used to describe the French revolutionary 'tricolore' (literally 'of three colours'), the term broadened over time to refer to any flag, emblem, or object composed of three colours.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a flag composed of three bands or sections of different colours, especially a national flag (often applied to the French revolutionary flag and similar national flags).
The French tricolour inspired many other nations to adopt three-colour flags.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
any object, design, or emblem that uses three distinct colours.
The club's tricolour scarf showed blue, white and red.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
having or consisting of three colours.
They wore tricolour ribbons at the ceremony.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/19 03:25