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Origin and history of nuance

nuance(n.)

"slight or delicate degree of difference in expression, feeling, opinion, etc.," 1781, from French nuance "slight difference, shade of color" (17c.), from nuer "to shade," from nue "cloud," from Gallo-Roman *nuba, from Latin nubes "a cloud, mist, vapor," from PIE *sneudh- "fog" (source also of Avestan snaoda "clouds," Latin obnubere "to veil," Welsh nudd "fog," Greek nython, in Hesychius "dark, dusky").

According to Klein, the French secondary sense is a reference to "the different colors of the clouds." In reference to color or tone, "a slight variation in shade," by 1852; of music, by 1841 as a French term in English.

nuance(v.)

"to give nuances to," 1886, from nuance (n.). Related: Nuanced.

also from 1886

Entries linking to nuance

nuanced(adj.)

"having or showing delicate gradations in tone, etc.," 1896, past-participle adjective from the verb nuance (q.v.).

The new co-operative history of English literature which the University of Cambridge is now publishing prints "genre" without italics. And it even permits one contributor—and a contributor who is discussing Shakespeare!—to say that something is delicately "nuanced." Is there now an English verb "to nuance"? It is terrible to think of the bad language the scholars of the venerable English university might have used if "nuanced" had been first discovered in the text of an American author. [Scribner's Magazine," January 1911]
Nubia

region of Africa bordering the Red Sea south of Egypt, ultimately from a local word, said to be related to Coptic noubti "to weave," or from Nubian nub "gold." In the fashion sense "woman's light scarf" it is from French, from Latin nubes "cloud" (see nuance).

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shade
Middle English shade, schade, Kentish ssed, "dark image cast by someone or something; comparative obscurity or gloom caused by the blockage of light," from late Old English scead "partial darkness; shelter, protection," also partly from sceadu "shade, shadow, darkness; shady plac
nicety
late 14c., nicete, "folly, stupidity," a sense now obsolete, from Old French niceté "foolishness, childishness, simplicity," from nice "silly" (see nice). It underwent a sense evolution parallel to that of nice, arriving at "minute, subtle point" 1580s and "exactitude, accuracy"
subtlety
c. 1300, sotilte, "skill, ingenuity," from Old French sotilte "skillfulness, cunning" (Modern French subtilité), from Latin subtilitatem (nominative subtilitas) "fineness; simplicity, slenderness," noun of quality from subtilis "fine, thin, delicate" (see subtle). From late 14c.
civil
Austin, "Lectures on Jurisprudence," 1873] The sense of "polite" was in classical Latin, but English did not pick up this nuance...
signification
early 14c., significacioun, "symbolization, representation," from Old French significacion and directly from Latin significationem (nominative significatio) "a signifying, indication, expression, sign, token, meaning, emphasis," noun of action from past-participle stem of signifi
refinement
1610s, "act or process of refining; state of being pure or purified," from refine + -ment. The meaning "fineness of feeling, state of being free from what is coarse or debasing" is from 1710; that of "that which proceeds from refinement or the desire to be refined, an improvement
Hades
god of the dead in Greek mythology; also the name of his realm, the abode of the dead spirits, 1590s, from Greek Haidēs, in Homer the name of the god of the underworld, son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Poseidon. His name is of unknown origin. Perhaps literally "the inv
significance
c. 1400, significaunce, "meaning" (of an omen, dream, etc.), from Old French significance or directly from Latin significantia "meaning, force, energy," from significans, present participle of significare "to mean, import, signify" (see signify). From mid-15c. as "verbal meaning;
import
early 15c., "signify, show, bear or convey in meaning," from Latin importare "bring in, convey, bring in from abroad," from assimilated form of in- "into, in" (from PIE root *en "in") + portare "to carry," from PIE root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over." In English, the sense of "br
retrieve
early 15c., retreven, "find or discover again," originally in reference to dogs finding lost game, from retruev-, stem of Old French retreuver (Modern French retrouver) "find again, recover, meet again, recognize," from re- "again" (see re-) + trouver "to find," probably from Vul

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