blæk adj., n., & v. --adj. 1
very dark, having no
colour from the absorption of
all or
nearly all
incident light (like
coal or soot). 2 completely dark from the
absence of a
source of light (black night). 3 (Black) a of the
human group having dark-coloured
skin,
esp. of
African or
Aboriginal descent. b of or relating to Black
people (Black rights). 4 (of the
sky, a
cloud, etc.)
dusky; heavily
overcast. 5
angry, threatening (a black look). 6 implying
disgrace or condemnation (in
his black books). 7
wicked,
sinister,
deadly (black-hearted). 8
gloomy, depressed,
sullen (a black mood). 9 portending
trouble or
difficulty (things looked black). 10 (of hands,
clothes, etc.)
dirty, soiled. 11 (of
humour or
its representation)
with sinister or
macabre, as well as
comic,
import (black comedy). 12 (of
tea or coffee)
without milk. 13
Brit. a (of
industrial labour or its products) boycotted, esp. by a
trade union, in an industrial
dispute. b (of a person)
doing work or handling goods
that have been boycotted. 14 dark in colour as
distinguished from a lighter
variety (black bear; black pine). --n. 1 a black colour or
pigment. 2 black clothes or
material (dressed in black). 3 a (in a game or sport) a black
piece, ball, etc. b the
player using
such pieces. 4 the
credit side of an
account (in the black). 5 (Black) a
member of a dark-skinned race, esp. a
Negro or Aboriginal. --v.tr. 1
make black (blacked his face). 2
polish with
blacking. 3 Brit.
declare (goods etc.) 'black'. øBlack Africa the
area of Africa,
generally south of the Sahara,
where Blacks
predominate. black
and blue discoloured by bruises. Black and Tans an armed force recruited to
fight Sinn Fein in Ireland in 1921, wearing a
mixture of
military and
constabulary uniforms. black and
white 1 recorded in
writing or
print (down in black and white). 2 (of
film etc.)
not in colour. 3 consisting of extremes
only, oversimplified (interpreted the
problem in black and white terms). the black art = black
magic. black beetle the
common cockroach, Blatta orientalis. black
belt 1 a black belt
worn by an
expert in
judo,
karate, etc. 2 a
person qualified to wear
this. black
body Physics a
hypothetical perfect absorber and
radiator of
energy, with no reflecting
power. black box 1 a flight-recorder in an
aircraft. 2
any complex piece of
equipment, usu. a
unit in an
electronic system, with contents
which are
mysterious to the
user. black
bread a
coarse dark-coloured
type of
rye bread. black
bryony a rooted
climber, Tamus communis, with clusters of
red berries. Black
Country (usu. prec. by the) a
district of the Midlands with
heavy industry. black
damp = choke-damp. Black
Death (usu. prec. by the) a
widespread epidemic of
bubonic plague in Europe in the 14th c. black
diamond (in pl.) coal. black
disc a long-playing
gramophone record, as
distinct from a compact disc. black
earth =
CHERNOZEM. black
economy unofficial economic activity. Black
English the
form of English
spoken by
many Blacks, esp. as an
urban dialect of the
US. black
eye bruised skin
around the eye resulting from a blow. black-eyed (or black-eye)
bean a variety of bean, Vigna sinensis, with seeds
often dried and stored
prior to
eating (so called from its black hilum). black-eyed Susan any of
several flowers, esp. of the
genus Rudbeckia, with yellow-coloured petals and a dark
centre. black-face 1 a variety of
sheep with a black
face. 2 the make-up used by a
non-Black performer playing a Negro
role. black flag see
FLAG(1). black
forest gateau a
chocolate sponge with layers of
morello cherries or
cherry jam and whipped
cream and topped with chocolate
icing, orig. from S. Germany. Black
Friar a
Dominican friar. black
frost see FROST. black game (or grouse) a
European grouse, Lyrurus tetrix. black
hole 1 a
region of
space possessing a
strong gravitational field from which
matter and
radiation cannot escape:
also called
COLLAPSAR. 2 a
place of
confinement for punishment, esp. in the armed services. black
ice thin hard transparent ice, esp. on a road
surface. black in the face
livid with
strangulation, exertion, or
passion. black lead
graphite. black
leopard =
PANTHER. black
letter an
old heavy
style of type. black light Physics the
invisible ultraviolet or
infrared radiations of the
electromagnetic spectrum. black magic magic involving supposed
invocation of
evil spirits. Black
Maria sl. a
police vehicle for transporting prisoners. black mark a mark of
discredit. black
market an
illicit traffic in officially controlled or
scarce commodities. black
marketeer a person
who engages in a black market. Black Mass a
travesty of the
Roman Catholic Mass in
worship of
Satan. Black
Monk a
Benedictine monk. Black
Muslim US a member of an exclusively Black Islamic
sect proposing a
separate Black
community. Black
Nationalism advocacy of the
national civil rights of US (and occas. other) Blacks. black
nightshade see NIGHTSHADE. black
out 1 a
effect a
blackout on. b
undergo a blackout. 2
obscure windows etc. or
extinguish all
lights for
protection esp.
against an
air attack. Black Panther US
one of a group of
extremist fighters for Blacks' rights. black
pepper pepper
made by grinding the
whole dried
berry, including the
husk, of the pepper
plant. Black Power a
movement in
support of rights and
political power for Blacks. black
pudding a black
sausage containing
pork, dried pig's
blood,
suet, etc. Black
Rod Brit. the
principal usher of the
Lord Chamberlain's
department,
House of Lords, etc. black sheep colloq. an
unsatisfactory member of a
family, group,
etc.; a
scoundrel. black
spot a place of
danger or difficulty, esp. on a road (an
accident black spot). black
swan 1
something extremely rare. 2 an
Australian swan, Cygnus atratus, with black
plumage. black tea tea that is
fully fermented
before drying. black
tie 1 a black bow-tie worn with a
dinner jacket. 2 colloq.
formal evening dress. black
tracker Austral. an Aboriginal employed to
help find persons
lost or hiding in the bush. black
velvet a
drink of
stout and
champagne. Black
Watch (usu. prec. by the) the
Royal Highland Regiment (so called from its dark tartan uniform). black-water
fever a
complication of
malaria, in which blood cells are rapidly destroyed, resulting in dark
urine. black
widow a
venomous spider, Latrodectus mactans, of which the
female devours the
male. øøblackish adj. blackly adv. blackness n. [OE blóc]