eggshell
Of a pale yellowish-whitish colour, like that of the eggshell.
Adjective
- Of a pale yellowish-whitish colour, like that of the eggshell.
- The ceiling panels are in off-white eggshell semi-matt finish. - 1959 January 5, “Single-Unit Diesel Railcars for the Western Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 57:
- Exhibiting the thinness, translucency or near-transparency, and fragility of an eggshell.
- eggshell porcelain
- Very matt, having a low reflexivity, like an eggshell.
- This clear varnish is available in gloss, matt and eggshell finishes.
Origin
From Middle English eggeshell, ege schelle, egg-shel, egg shelle (also as Middle English eye schell, ey-schel, ey-schelle), partially continuing Old English ǣġsċill, ǣġsċyll (“eggshell”), equivalent to egg + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oaierskil (“eggshell”), Dutch eierschaal (“eggshell”), German Eierschale (“eggshell”), Danish æggeskal (“eggshell”), Swedish äggskal (“eggshell”).
Forms
Noun
- The shell around an egg.
- Like Egge-ſhels mou'd upon their Surges, crack'd / As eaſily ’gainſt our Rockes. - 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies,...
- A pale off-white colour, like that of the eggshell of many chickens.
Coordinate Terms: robin's-egg blue