yellow

¹yel·low

adjective \ˈye-(ˌ)lō, dialect ˈye-lər or ˈya-\

Definition of YELLOW

1

a : of the color yellow

b : become yellowish through age, disease, or discoloration : sallow

c sometimes offensive : having a yellowish or light brown complexion or skin

2

a : featuring sensational or scandalous items or ordinary news sensationally distorted <yellow journalism>

b : mean, cowardly

— yel·low·ish \ˈye-lə-wish\ adjective

Examples of YELLOW

1. He was too yellow to stand up and fight.
2. <you'll come with us into the cave, unless you're yellow>

Origin of YELLOW

Middle English yelwe, yelow, from Old English geolu; akin to Old High German gelo yellow, Latin helvus light bay, Greek chlōros greenish yellow, Sanskrit hari yellowish

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to YELLOW

Synonyms

chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, pusillanimous, recreant, spineless, unheroic, cowardly

Antonyms

brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, hardy, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous

Related Words

diffident, fainthearted, fearful, timid, timorous; afraid, frightened, scared; careful, cautious, wary; bashful, coy, shy; feeble, soft, unmanly, weak

Near Antonyms

audacious, bold, brazen, cheeky, nervy; plucky, spirited, spunky; determined, resolute

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

²yellow

noun

Definition of YELLOW

1

: something yellow or marked by a yellow color: as

a sometimes offensive : a person having yellowish or light brown skin

b : the yolk of an egg

2

a : a color whose hue resembles that of ripe lemons or sunflowers or is that of the portion of the spectrum lying between green and orange

b : a pigment or dye that colors yellow

3

plural : jaundice

4

plural but sing in constr : any of several plant diseases caused especially by phytoplasmas and marked by yellowing of the foliage and stunting

Examples of YELLOW

1. The bridesmaids were dressed in yellow.
2. a room decorated in yellows and greens

First Known Use of YELLOW

before 12th century

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

Rhymes with YELLOW

bellow, mellow

³yellow

verb

Definition of YELLOW

intransitive verb

: to become or turn yellow

transitive verb

: to make yellow : give a yellow tinge or color to <yellowed by time>

Examples of YELLOW

1. The paper had yellowed with age.
2. The leaves were yellowed by disease.

First Known Use of YELLOW

15th century

Yellow

geographical name

Definition of YELLOW

— see huang