color phase

noun

1
: a seasonally variant pelage color
2
a
: a genetic variant manifested by the occurrence of a skin or pelage color unlike the wild type of the animal group in which it appears
b
: an individual marked by such a variant

Examples of color phase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
To complicate the issue, individuals of both species go through different color phases throughout each year. Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023 The lesser snow geese of the Mississippi and Central flyways come in both white and the blue color phase. Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2023 The gobblers have included oddities such as unusual color phases, toms with no beard and adult males with no spurs. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 May 2020 With 25,000-35,000 bears, its good to wait for a color phase or a particularly large bear. Gerald Almy, Field & Stream, 2 Apr. 2020 The color phase breakdown was 44% red, 20% intermediate, 14% split, 11% brown and 10% gray. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of color phase was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near color phase

Cite this Entry

“Color phase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/color%20phase. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!