Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
food color

food color

1 2.3
A thing added to food or drink to change how it looks
  • noun
  • /fuːd ˈkʌlər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : colorante alimentario
  • If you don't like food color, don't make this.
  • optional food color

Examples

  • I just did a search on "gel food color," and got a bunch.

    Blog text (22)

  • I will have to try and find natural food colors as some kids are allergic to the usual ones!

    Blog text (22)

  • Artificial food colorings, when those are removed from the diet, help improve hyperactivity.

  • Next time, try a Rum Baba, which is far tastier, and has no artificial food colors involved.

    Blog text (22)

  • To make the cake more vibrant, I added food color to the batter.

  • It's important to choose safe food color when baking for children with allergies.

  • She used blue and yellow food color to create a rainbow effect on the cupcakes.

Synonyms

color
vsfood color
  • US
514 1.0

A paint or dye used to give something a particular shade

means a substance approved for adding or restoring hue specifically in edible items
coloring
vsfood color
  • US
26 1.0

A safe substance added to food or drink to change its color

is used to give or restore hue and is approved for consumption
food coloring
vsfood color
  • US
14 1.4

A liquid or powder that people add to food to give it color

is specifically approved for consumption and may restore hue rather than decorate
colorant
vsfood color
  • US
1 4.0

A thing added to food, fabric, paint, or cosmetics to give color

applies only to edible uses and excludes inedible materials
coloring material
vsfood color
  • US
3.3

A substance that gives color to something like food or cloth

refers only to safe additives for eating and drinking, not surfaces

How Bright

food color
  • Specialized
1 2.3
tint
12 2.5

Surface Forms

food color singular
food colors plural
food colours plural
food colour singular

Morphology

food + color

The meaning 'a substance added to food to give or restore color' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'food' (what is eaten) with 'color' (a dye/pigment); the compound follows a straightforward noun+noun composition. This construction is cross-linguistically regular and a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Food color comes from the simple idea of putting color into food; cooks long used plant dyes or spices to change how a dish looked. That's why it now means a 'substance added to food to give or bring back color'.