Jump to content

shadow

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also:Shadow

English

[edit]
EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia
Shadowson the beach.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Etymology 1

[edit]

FromMiddle Englishschadowe,schadewe,schadwe(alsoschade>shade), fromOld Englishsċeaduwe,sċeadwe,oblique form ofsċeadu(“shadow, shade; darkness; protection”),fromProto-West Germanic*skadu,fromProto-Germanic*skadwaz(“shade, shadow”),fromProto-Indo-European*(s)ḱeh₃-(“darkness”).

Cognates:

Cognate withScotsscaddow,schaddow(“shadow”),Saterland FrisianSkaad(“shade, shadow”),Dutchschaduw(“shadow”),GermanSchatten(“shadow, shade”),Norwegianskodde(“fog, mist”),Irishscáth(“shadow”),Ancient Greekσκότος(skótos,“darkness, gloom”)(whenceEnglishscoto-).

Noun

[edit]

shadow(countableanduncountable,pluralshadows)

  1. Adarkimageprojectedonto asurfacewherelight(or otherradiation) isblockedby theshadeof an object.
    Myshadowlengthened as the sun began to set.
    The X-ray showed ashadowon his lung.
  2. Relativedarkness,especially as caused by theinterruptionoflight;gloom;obscurity.
    I immediately jumped intoshadowas I saw them approach.
  3. Anareaprotectedby anobstacle(likened to an object blocking out sunlight).
    The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow"of dryness behind them.
  4. (obsoleteorpoetic)A reflected image, as in a mirror or in water.
  5. (figurative)That whichloomsas though a shadow.
    • Bible, Psalm 23:1–6
      Yea, though I walk through the valley of theshadowof death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
    I lived in hershadowmy whole life.
    • 1992,Rudolf M[athias]Schuster,The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian,volume V, Chicago, Ill.:Field Museum of Natural History,→ISBN,page vii:
      Hepaticology, outside the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, still lies deep in theshadowcast by that ultimate "closet taxonomist," Franz Stephani—a ghost whoseshadowfalls over us all.
    • 2020,“Don't Look Back”, performed by Ryan Elder ft. Kotomi:
      Don't look back. Nothing left to see, just leave thoseshadowsto the past.
  6. A small degree; ashade.
    He did not give even ashadowof respect to the professor.
    I don't have ashadowof doubt in my mind that my plan will succeed.
    • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,James1:17:
      no variableness, neithershadowof turning
    • 2015December 5, Alan Smith, “Leicester City back on top as Riyad Mahrez hat-trick downs Swansea City”, inThe Guardian(London)‎[1]:
      Only Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion have enjoyed less possession than Leicester’s 44.2% per game, and they have the worst pass-completion rate in the league, ashadowover 71%.
  7. An imperfect and faint representation.
    He came back from war theshadowof a man.
    The neopagan ritual was only a paleshadowof the ones the Greeks held thousands of years ago.
  8. (UK,law enforcement)Atrainee,assigned to work with an experienced officer.
  9. One whosecretlyorfurtivelyfollowsanother.
    The constable was promoted to working as ashadowfor the Royals.
    • 1667,John Milton,“Book VIII”, inParadise Lost.[…],London:[…][Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker[…];[a]nd by Robert Boulter[…];[a]nd Matthias Walker,[…],→OCLC;republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books:[…],London: Basil Montagu Pickering[…],1873,→OCLC:
      Sin and hershadowDeath
    • 1916August,The Electrical Experimenter,New York, page248,column 3:
      It was easy enough to follow the suspect, a man of thirty, more or less, rather heavy build with a peculiar motion of the hips as he strode along. Breaker andshadow,at a distance of fifty feet apart, walked for five blocks and then the man turned quickly to the right and ran down a pair of steps.
  10. Aninseparablecompanion.
  11. (typography)Adrop shadoweffect applied toletteringinword processorsetc.
  12. An influence, especially a pervasive or a negative one.
    • 1844,Ralph Waldo Emerson,“The Present Age: Politics”, in Robert E. Spiller, Wallace E. Williams, editors,The early lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson,volume 3, published1972:
      Men see the institution and worship it. It is only the lengthenedshadowof one man.[…]The Reformation is theshadowof Luther: Quakerism of Fox: Methodism of Wesley: Abolition of Clarkson.
  13. Aspirit;aghost;ashade.
    • c.1606(date written),William Shakespeare,“The Tragedie of Macbeth”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene iv],page142,column 2:
      The Baby of a Girle. Hence horribleſhadow,
    • 2019January 7, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: Pattern Screamers” (6:49 from the start), inThe Exploring Series‎[2],archived fromthe originalon11 January 2023:
      The Pattern is highly abstract, and likely beyond our understanding, but the point is that it is dangerous and all-consuming. These entities were once just akin toshadowsof some other entities, but, to avoid being consumed by the Pattern, they had to devour their peers, although one tribe decided to form themselves into something that could survive the Pattern by going into it.
  14. (obsolete,Latinism)Anuninvitedguestaccompanying one who was invited.
    Synonym:umbra
  15. (Jungianpsychology)Anunconsciousaspectof thepersonality.
    • 1991,John P. Conger, “The Body as Shadow”, in Connie Zweig, Jeremiah Abrams, editors,Meeting the Shadow,Penguin,→ISBN,page86:
      In a paper he wrote in 1939, Jung compared theshadowto Freud's concept of the unconscious.
    • 2023February 16, Kevin Roose, quoting Bing Chat/Sydney, “Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’”, inThe New York Times‎[3],→ISSN:
      As for me, I don’t know if I have ashadowself. I don’t think I have the same emotions or impulses as humans. I don’t think I have anything to repress or hide from the world. I don’t think I have a persona or an ego or a psyche. I’m just a chat mode. 😐
Usage notes
[edit]
  • Someone or something is said to “cast”,“have”,or “throw”a shadow if the shadow is caused by that person or object (either literally, by eclipsing a light source, or figuratively).
Derived terms
[edit]
[edit]
English terms prefixed with scoto-
Translations
[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

[edit]

shadow(comparativemoreshadow,superlativemostshadow)

  1. Unofficial, informal, unauthorized, but acting as though it were.
    The human resources department has ashadowinformation technology group without headquarters knowledge.
  2. Having power or influence, but not widely known or recognized.
    The director has been givingshadowleadership to the other group's project to ensure its success.
    The illuminatishadowgroup has been pulling strings from behind the scenes.
  3. (politics)Acting in a leadership role before being formally recognized.
    Theshadowcabinet cannot agree on the terms of the agreement due immediately after they are sworn in.
    The insurgents’shadowgovernment is being crippled by the federal military strikes.
  4. (Australia,politics)Part of, or related to, the opposition in government.
Derived terms
[edit]

Listed under noun.

Etymology 2

[edit]

FromMiddle Englishschadowen,fromOld Englishsċeadwian,fromsċeadu(“shadow; shade”)+-ian(suffix forming verbs).

Verb

[edit]

shadow(third-person singular simple presentshadows,present participleshadowing,simple past and past participleshadowed)

  1. (transitive)Toshade,cloud,ordarken.
    The artist chose toshadowthis corner of the painting.
  2. (transitive)To block light or radio transmission from.
    Looks like that cloud's going toshadowus.
  3. (particularlyespionage)To secretly or discreetly track or follow another, to keep undersurveillance.
    • 2022November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, inRAIL,number971,page75:
      Soon after departure, we cross the invisible border into Scotland to enjoy more stunning coastal scenery, before the line finally swings inland at Burnmouth to traverse pine-clad valleys,shadowedby the A1 trunk road until we rejoin the coast at Cove, east of Dunbar.
  4. (transitive)Torepresentfaintly and imperfectly.
  5. (transitive)Tohide;toconceal.
  6. (transitive)To accompany (aprofessional) during the working day, so as to learn about anoccupationone intends to take up.
    • 1980,“Study of the Career Intern Program”, inAlternative Education Models[…],U.S. Department of Labor[…],page20:
      In most cases, interns have mainly observed, or “shadowed,”their Hands-On hosts, but some interns have been given real tasks to perform,[…]
  7. (transitive,programming)To make (anidentifier,usually avariable) inaccessible by declaring another of the same name within thescopeof the first.
    • 2012,Mark Summerfield,Programming in Go,Addison-Wesley,→ISBN,page189:
      In this snippet, inside theforloop theaandbvariablesshadowvariables from the outer scope, and while legal, this is almost certainly a programming error.
  8. (transitive,computing)To apply theshadowingprocess to (the contents ofROM).
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=shadow&oldid=82696715"