swatch
/swɒtʃ
/noun
1A small sample of fabric intended to demonstrate the look of a larger piece: colour swatches...
- We come to the house with all our materials, colour and fabric swatches and can usually go through each room within the one session.
- Included are samplers, embroidered pictures, portraits, sewing implements and patterns, quilts, clothing, linens, fabric swatches, photographs, and other documents.
- I sent him tie samples, fabric swatches, photos, the whole nine yards.
1.1A collection of fabric samples, especially in the form of a book.I was both a cool and deep dude, but predominantly cool - and a swatch book of 33 of these qualifying hues was ‘my colour.’...
- I come with my swatch books and some drawing paper.
- Most retailers can get you a sample swatch or will allow you to check out the book for an evening.
1.2A sample of paint, makeup, etc. applied to a surface or one’s skin to test or demonstrate the colour: red lipstick swatches the walls were covered with multicoloured paint swatches...
- As you can see from the swatches, it almost seems like you’re buying three tubes of the same gloss.
- With these larger samples, you'll have more paint available to create larger paint swatches.
- There probably isn't a soul in the world (who is interested in makeup, that is) that hasn't already seen a million swatches of the Urban Decay Book of Shadows.
1.3A patch or area of a material or surface: the sunset had filled the sky with swatches of deep orange...
- They were about to throw out a swatch of material they found in my remaining sneaker, but I grabbed it and stuffed it back in my fancy leather shoes before they could open it and find my heart.
- Bright swatches of fuchsia, orange and yellow tend to advance before cooler passages of lavender, violet and blue.
- The several paintings titled Night Sky are swatches of impenetrable black texturing.
verb [with object]
Apply a sample of (paint, makeup, etc.) to a surface or one’s skin to test or demonstrate the colour: I got the polishes yesterday, and I’ve swatched them all...
- Last time I swatched NARS’ new Larger Than Life eyeliners, I was missing two shades.
- Pink Tea is a satin rose-pink, and if I’d realized how similar it was going to look to Lovecloud, I would have swatched them side by side.
- I actually applied and swatched this twice, because it looked so awful on my lips.
Origin
Early 16th century (originally Scots and northern English, denoting the counterfoil of a tally, and later a tally fixed to a piece of cloth before dyeing): of unknown origin.