eggshell

Meanings

Noun

• The shell around an egg.
• A pale off-white colour, like that of the eggshell.

Adjective

• Of a pale yellowish-whitish colour, like that of the eggshell.
• Exhibiting the thinness, translucency or near-transparency, and fragility of an eggshell.
• Very matt, having a low reflexivity, like an eggshell.

Origin

• From Middle English eggeshell, ege schelle, egg-shel, egg shelle (also as Middle English eye schell, ey-schel, ey-schelle), partially continuing Old English ǣġsċill, ǣġsċyll, equivalent to egg + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oaierskil, Dutch eierschaal, German Eierschale, Danish æggeskal, Swedish äggskal.