What does Shadow mean?
Definitions for Shadow
ˈʃæd oʊshad·ow
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Shadow.
Princeton's WordNet
shadownoun
shade within clear boundaries
darkness, dark, shadownoun
an unilluminated area
"he moved off into the darkness"
apparition, phantom, phantasm, phantasma, fantasm, shadownoun
something existing in perception only
"a ghostly apparition at midnight"
shadownoun
a premonition of something adverse
"a shadow over his happiness"
trace, vestige, tincture, shadownoun
an indication that something has been present
"there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim"; "a tincture of condescension"
shadownoun
refuge from danger or observation
"he felt secure in his father's shadow"
shadownoun
a dominating and pervasive presence
"he received little recognition working in the shadow of his father"
tail, shadow, shadowernoun
a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements
shadowverb
an inseparable companion
"the poor child was his mother's shadow"
shadowverb
follow, usually without the person's knowledge
"The police are shadowing her"
shadow, shade, shade offverb
cast a shadow over
shadow, overshadow, dwarfverb
make appear small by comparison
"This year's debt dwarfs that of last year"
Wiktionary
shadownoun
A dark image projected onto a surface where light is blocked by the shade of an object.
My shadow lengthened as the sun began to set.
shadownoun
Relative darkness, especially as caused by the interruption of light; gloom, obscurity.
I immediately jumped into shadow as I saw them approach.
shadownoun
That which looms as though a shadow.
shadownoun
Merely a hint of substance.
shadownoun
One who secretly or furtively follows another.
The constable was promoted to working as a shadow for the Royals.
shadownoun
A type of lettering form of word processors that makes a cubic effect.
shadownoun
An influence, especially a pervasive or a negative one.
shadowverb
To block light or radio transmission.
Looks like that cloud's going to shadow us.
shadowverb
To secretly or discreetly track or follow another, to keep under surveillance.
shadowverb
To make an identifier, usually a variable, inaccessible by declaring another of the same name within the scope of the first.
Etymology: sceaduwe, inflected form of sceadu (> English shade).
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Shadownoun
Etymology: scadu , Saxon; schaduwe, Dutch.
Poor Tom! proud of heart, to ride over four inch’d bridges, to course his own shadow for a traitor. William Shakespeare.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. William Shakespeare.Such a nature,
Tickl’d with good success, disdains the shadow
Which he treads on at noon. William Shakespeare.The body, tho’ it moves, yet not changing perceivable distance with some other bodies, the thing seems to stand still, as in the hands of clocks, and shadows of sun-dials. John Locke.
By the revolution of the skies
Night’s sable shadows from the ocean rise. John Denham.His countrymen probably lived within the shake of the earthquake and shadow of the eclipse. Addison.
In secret shadow from the sunny ray,
On a sweet bed of lillies softly laid. Fa. Queen.Here father, take the shadow of this tree
For your good host. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.To the secret shadows I retire,
To pay my penance till my years expire. Dryd.A shadow is a diminution of the first and second light. The first light is that which proceeds immediately from a lightned body, as the beams of the sun. The second is an accidental light spreading itself into the air or medium proceeding from the other. Shadows are threefold: the first is a single shadow, and the least of all; and is proper to the plain surface where it is not wholly possessed of the light. The second is the double shadow, and it is used when the surface begins once to forsake your eye, as in columns. The third shadow is made by crossing over your double shadow again, which darkneth by a third part. It is used for the inmost shadow, and farthest from the light, as in gulfs, wells, and caves. Henry Peacham.
After great lights there must be great shadows. Dryden.
Hence, terrible shadow!
Unreal mock’ry, hence! William Shakespeare.If substance might be call’d that shadow seem’d. John Milton.
In the glorious lights of heaven we perceive a shadow of his divine countenance. Walter Raleigh.
Without the least impulse or shadow of fate. John Milton.
Amongst the creatures are particular excellencies scattered, which are some shadows of the divine perfections. John Tillotson.
Sin and her shadow, death. John Milton.
Thou my shadow
Inseparable must with me be long John Milton.Types and shadows of that destin’d seed. John Milton.
Keep me under the shadow of thy wings. Psalms.
To Shadowverb
Etymology: from the noun.
The warlike elf much wondered at this tree,
So fair and great, that shadowed all the ground. Fa. Q.The Assyrian was a cedar with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud. Ezek. xxxi. 3.
Mislike me not for my complexion;
The shadow’d livery of the burning sun
To whom I am a neighbour. William Shakespeare.A gentle south-west wind comes creeping over flowery fields and shadow’d waters in the extreme heat of summer. Philip Sidney.
Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
And bear’t before him; thereby shall we shadow
The number of our host, and make discov’ry
Err in report of us. William Shakespeare.God shall forgive you Cœur de Lion’s death,
The rather, that you give his offspring life,
Shad wing their right under your wings of war. William Shakespeare.Turnsoil is made of old linnen rags dried, and laid in a saucer of vinegar, and set over a chafing dish of coals till it boil; then wring it into a shell, and put it into a little gum arabick: it is good to shadow carnations, and all yellows. Henry Peacham.
From a round globe of any uniform colour, the idea imprinted in our minds is of a flat circle, variously shadowed with different degrees of light coming to our eyes. John Locke.
More broken scene, made up of an infinite variety of inequalities and shadowings, that naturally arise from an agreeable mixture of hills, groves, and vallies. Addis.
If the parts be too much distant, so that there be void spaces which are deeply shadowed, then place in those voids some fold to make a joining of the parts. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.
Whereat I wak’d and found
Before mine eyes all real, as the dream
Had lively shadow’d. John Milton, Parad. Lost.Augustus is shadowed in the person of Æneas. Dryd.
I have shadowed some part of your virtues under another name. Dryd.
Many times there are three things said to make up the substance of a sacrament; namely, the grace which is thereby offered, the element which shadoweth or signifieth grace, and the word which expresseth what is done by the element. Hook.
The shield being to defend the body from weapons, aptly shadows out to us the continence of the emperor, which made him proof to all the attacks of pleasure. Addison.
Wikipedia
Shadow
A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or a reverse projection of the object blocking the light.
Webster Dictionary
Shadownoun
shade within defined limits; obscurity or deprivation of light, apparent on a surface, and representing the form of the body which intercepts the rays of light; as, the shadow of a man, of a tree, or of a tower. See the Note under Shade, n., 1
Shadownoun
darkness; shade; obscurity
Shadownoun
a shaded place; shelter; protection; security
Shadownoun
a reflected image, as in a mirror or in water
Shadownoun
that which follows or attends a person or thing like a shadow; an inseparable companion; hence, an obsequious follower
Shadownoun
a spirit; a ghost; a shade; a phantom
Shadownoun
an imperfect and faint representation; adumbration; indistinct image; dim bodying forth; hence, mystical representation; type
Shadownoun
a small degree; a shade
Shadownoun
an uninvited guest coming with one who is invited
Shadownoun
to cut off light from; to put in shade; to shade; to throw a shadow upon; to overspead with obscurity
Shadownoun
to conceal; to hide; to screen
Shadownoun
to protect; to shelter from danger; to shroud
Shadownoun
to mark with gradations of light or color; to shade
Shadownoun
to represent faintly or imperfectly; to adumbrate; hence, to represent typically
Shadownoun
to cloud; to darken; to cast a gloom over
Shadownoun
to attend as closely as a shadow; to follow and watch closely, especially in a secret or unobserved manner; as, a detective shadows a criminal
Etymology: [Originally the same word as shade. 162. See Shade.]
Freebase
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the light. The sun causes many objects to have shadows and at certain times of the day, when the sun is at certain heights, the lengths of shadows change. An astronomical object casts human-visible shadows when its apparent magnitude is equal or lower than −4. Currently the only astronomical objects able to produce visible shadows on Earth are the sun, the moon and, in the right conditions, Venus or Jupiter.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Shadow
shad′ō, n. shade caused by an object: darkness: shelter: security: favour: the dark part of a picture: an inseparable companion: a mystical representation: faint appearance: a ghost, spirit: something only in appearance.—v.t to shade: to cloud or darken: to shade, as a painting: to represent faintly: to hide, conceal: (coll.) to attend like a shadow, watch continuously and carefully.—ns. Shad′ow-fig′ure, a silhouette; Shad′owiness, the state of being shadowy or unsubstantial; Shad′owing, shading: gradation of light and colour.—adj. Shad′owless.—n. Shad′ow-stitch, in lace-making, a very delicate kind of ladder-stitch used in fine open-work.—adj. Shad′owy, full of shadow: dark: obscure: typical: unsubstantial: (rare) indulging in fancies.—Shadow of death, approach of death: terrible disaster. [A.S. sceadu; cog. with Old High Ger. scato, and perh. Gr. skotos, darkness, skia, shadow.]
Suggested Resources
shadow
Song lyrics by shadow -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by shadow on the Lyrics.com website.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
SHADOW
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shadow is ranked #65964 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Shadow surname appeared 300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Shadow.
87.6% or 263 total occurrences were White.
6% or 18 total occurrences were Black.
3.3% or 10 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
2.3% or 7 total occurrences were of two or more races.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Shadow' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3274
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Shadow' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4458
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Shadow' in Nouns Frequency: #1009
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Shadow in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Shadow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of Shadow in a Sentence
For fourteen years, Martin Luther King, Jr. lived in the valley of the shadow of death. He was stoned. He was stabbed. His home was bombed. He did important work despite the knowledge that people plotted his death. He sacrificed his safety, not his life. Stop saying that he gave his life, offered himself as a sacrifice. That is a lie. He was murdered.
Their illegal missile launch was not only dangerous, but reckless and irresponsible, it showed that North Korea does not want to be part of a peaceful world. They have cast a dark shadow of conflict on all nations that strive for peace.
Even if it is cloudy we will be above the clouds. So hopefully we will get to see a shadow coming across earth as the moon comes between the earth and the sun.
Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small.
They just don’t want the shadow of Derek Chauvin’s guilt looming over them, it still will in a way, but not having him there … might be helpful to the other three.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for Shadow
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- skaduweeAfrikaans
- sombra, huembraAragonese
- ظلArabic
- kölgəAzerbaijani
- күләгәBashkir
- ценьBelarusian
- преследвач, сянкаBulgarian
- ছায়া, শ্যাডোBengali
- skeudBreton
- ombraCatalan, Valencian
- stín, stínit, sledovatCzech
- cysgodWelsh
- skyggeDanish
- Schatten, beschattenGerman
- επισκιάζω, σκιά, σκιάζω, παρακολουθώ, γίνομαι σκιάGreek
- gvatsekvi, ombroEsperanto
- sombraSpanish
- variEstonian
- itzal, errainu, ilununeBasque
- سایهPersian
- varjo, varjostaa, varjostaja, varjostusFinnish
- skuggiFaroese
- ombre, prendre en filature, filerFrench
- skaadWestern Frisian
- scáthIrish
- sgàile, faileas, dubharScottish Gaelic
- sombraGalician
- પડછાયોGujarati
- scaa, scadooManx
- צלHebrew
- छाया, परछाई, सायाHindi
- lonbrajHaitian Creole
- árny, árnyékHungarian
- շուք, ստվերArmenian
- umbraInterlingua
- bayanganIndonesian
- ombroIdo
- skuggiIcelandic
- ombraItalian
- צֵלHebrew
- 影, 影付き, 日陰, 陰影Japanese
- აჩრდილი, ჩრდილიGeorgian
- көлеңкеKazakh
- ស្រមោលKhmer
- ನೆರಳುKannada
- 그늘, 응달, 그림자Korean
- umbra, umbra,Latin
- ຮົ່ມເງົາ, ເງົາ, ຮົ່ມLao
- šešėlisLithuanian
- ēnaLatvian
- àlokaMalagasy
- whakamomoka, ātārangiMāori
- сенкаMacedonian
- bayangMalay
- dellMaltese
- ဆာယာBurmese
- schaduwDutch
- skyggeNorwegian
- chahaʼoh, chahashʼohNavajo, Navaho
- ombraOccitan
- ਪਰਛਾਂਵਾਂPanjabi, Punjabi
- cieńPolish
- sombra, sombreadoPortuguese
- sumbreiva, sumbriva, umbrivaRomansh
- umbrăRomanian
- тень, шпикRussian
- छायाSanskrit
- umbra, umbara, urmaSardinian
- сенка, sjenka, сјенка, senka, sena, сена, sjena, сјенаSerbo-Croatian
- tôňa, tieňSlovak
- sencaSlovene
- hijeAlbanian
- skuggaSwedish
- நிழல்Tamil
- నీడTelugu
- เงามัว, เงามืดThai
- aninoTagalog
- gölge, gTurkish
- тіньUkrainian
- چھایا, سایہ, سائےUrdu
- bóng, bóng tốiVietnamese
- שאָטןYiddish
- 阴影Chinese
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