A hue is a specific shade or variety of color. When you look at a rainbow, each band represents a different hue: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The sunset might display brilliant hues of pink and orange, while autumn leaves show hues of gold, crimson, and brown.

Hue is useful when you need to talk about color with precision. Instead of just saying “blue,” you might describe the deep hue of the ocean or the pale hue of a robin's egg. Artists mixing paint pay careful attention to hue, adjusting their colors until they get exactly the right shade. An interior designer might choose furniture in hues that complement each other, creating a room that feels harmonious.

The word appears in the phrase hue and cry, which means a loud public outcry or protest. This meaning comes from an old English law where people would shout to alert others about a crime. Today, when people raise a hue and cry about something, they're making their objections heard loudly and clearly, like students raising a hue and cry when the principal cancels recess without explanation.