teal
teal — noun
- tealsingular
- tealsplural
1. a small waterbird that lives near lakes and marshes, similar to a duck but small
a small waterbird that lives near lakes and marshes, similar to a duck but smaller, with a short neck and a colourful stripe on its head
Brooke spotted a small teal swimming among the reeds at the edge of the lake.
habitat collocations: lake, marsh, reeds
The birdwatcher pointed out a female teal with her ducklings near the marsh.
Teals are smaller than mallards and have a distinctive green patch on their wings.
comparative structure: teals + are smaller than
Quan photographed a teal as it lifted off the water and flew past willows.
- teal + lake/marsh/wetland
- spotted a teal
- female teal
- teals + fly/swim
2. a dark blue-green colour, similar to the colour of seawater in shallow tropical
a dark blue-green colour, similar to the colour of seawater in shallow tropical places
Andrei chose a teal paint for the living room walls to match the grey sofa.
colour name: shade of teal; decor context
The cushions on Ada's armchair were a soft shade of teal with gold stitching.
Tariro decorated her bedroom in shades of teal and cream for a calm atmosphere.
collocation: shades of teal
Minho found a teal vase at the market and placed it on the wooden shelf.
The invitations were printed in teal and white for a fresh, elegant look.
- shade of teal
- teal paint/walls
- teal cushions/vase
- in teal
- blue-green
a more general term for colours between blue and green
- turquoise
a lighter, brighter blue-green, while teal is darker
- cyan
a bright greenish-blue, much lighter than teal
Usage Note
This sense is uncountable — you say 'a shade of teal', not 'a teal colour'. The colour name can also appear before a noun (e.g. 'teal paint', 'teal cushions') where it functions like an adjective.
Common Mistakes
teal — adjective
- tealpositive
- tealercomparative
- tealestsuperlative
1. describes an object, piece of clothing, or surface that is of a dark blue-green
describes an object, piece of clothing, or surface that is of a dark blue-green colour
Nadia wore a teal scarf with her black coat to add some colour.
attributive adjective: teal + clothing noun
The old teal bicycle leaned against the fence behind the garage.
Haruto painted the kitchen cabinets a bright teal that cheered up the room.
Sumin bought a pair of teal shoes that matched her favourite jacket.
A teal rug on the wooden floor made the living room feel much cosier.
position: teal rug / teal furniture
- teal + dress/scarf/jacket/shoes
- teal + walls/cabinets/rug
- bright teal
- painted teal
- blue-green
a more general description; teal is a specific darker shade
- turquoise
lighter and brighter than teal
Grammar Patterns
attributive use before nouns
Usage Note
Unlike the noun sense (COLOUR), which names the colour itself, this adjective directly describes objects. There is no comparative form — you do not say 'more teal'.
Common Mistakes
Common collocations
Etymology
The word comes from Middle English 'tele', which referred to a small duck. It is related to the Middle Dutch word 'teling', also meaning a duck. The colour name was first used in English in the early 20th century, taken from the blue-green stripe that appears on the head and wings of the teal duck.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2