COLORATION
coloration, colouration
(noun) choice and use of colors (as by an artist)
coloration, colouration
(noun) appearance with regard to color; “her healthy coloration”
color, colour, coloration, colouration
(noun) the timbre of a musical sound; “the recording fails to capture the true color of the original music”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
coloration (countable and uncountable, plural colorations)
The act or art of coloring.
The quality of being colored.
(music) A notational devise for indicating hemiola through either use of red ink (in mensural black notation) or black noteheads (in mensural white notation); or
(music) Ornamental division (also called passaggi, glosas, diminutions. etc.) employing rapid "black notes".
Source: Wiktionary
Col`or*a"tion, n.
Definition: The act or art of coloring; the state of being colored. Bacon.
The females . . . resemble each other in their general type of
coloration. Darwin.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition