eggshell

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the hard, thin outer covering of an egg

   The chick broke through the eggshell with the tip of its beak.

2. 2
   noun

   a pale cream or off-white color

   They painted the walls a warm eggshell that softened the afternoon light.

3. 3
   adj

   having a low-sheen finish between matte and satin, especially of paint

   An eggshell finish is easier to clean than flat paint.

From Middle English eggeshell, continuing an Old English compound and transparently formed from egg + shell. The color sense comes from the pale shell of a hen's egg; the paint term refers to a similarly soft, slight sheen.

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