The word shade has several related meanings:

When light hits something solid, it creates a shadow on the other side. Shade is the cool, darker area protected from direct sunlight. On a scorching summer day, you might rest in the shade of a large oak tree, feeling instantly cooler as its leaves block the sun's rays. Animals seek shade during the hottest hours, and plants that prefer shade grow better under the canopy of taller trees than in full sun.

Shade also means a degree or variety of a color. If you're painting a picture, you might mix several shades of blue for the sky, from pale morning blue to deep twilight. When someone talks about shades of meaning, they're pointing out subtle differences in how words or ideas can be understood.

To shade something means to make it darker or add shadows to it, like when you shade parts of a drawing with your pencil to make them look three-dimensional. Artists use shading to show which surfaces face the light and which turn away from it.

Less commonly, to throw shade at someone means to criticize them in a subtle, indirect way, like making a snide comment that sounds innocent but still carries an insult.