colour, colourful, coloration

In such words as colour, Canadians generally prefer the British ending ‑our to the American ending ‑or (as in color).

  • Dominique doesn’t want to colour your opinion by telling you what she thinks.

Words formed from the root colour are also usually written with the ‑our spelling in Canada.

  • The newscaster used a colourful turn of phrase to describe the thief’s actions.
  • Cobalt was added as a colourant to the figurines and ornaments.
  • Each spring, the tap water at the cottage is discoloured.

However, the u is usually dropped in the words coloration and discoloration.

  • The discoloration of the wallpaper was due to a leaky pipe.

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