col ‧ o ‧ ra ‧ tion BrE AmE ( also colouration British English ) /ˌkʌləˈreɪʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: noun : COLOUR/COLOR , COLOURING/COLORING , ↑ coloration , COLOURANT/COLORANT , COLOURIST/COLORIST ; adjective : COLOURED/COLORED , discoloured/discolored, COLOURFUL/COLORFUL ≠ COLOURLESS/COLORLESS , ↑ multicoloured , COLOUR/COLOR ; verb : COLOUR/COLOR ; adverb : COLOURFULLY/COLORFULLY ≠ COLOURLESSLY/COLORLESSLY ]
the colours or pattern of colours on a plant or animal