waɪt adj., n., & v. --adj. 1 resembling a
surface reflecting
sunlight without absorbing any of
the visible rays; of the
colour of
milk or
fresh snow. 2 approaching
such a colour; pale
esp. in the
face (turned as white as a sheet). 3
less dark than other things of the
same kind. 4 (White) a of the
human group having light-coloured
skin. b of or relating to White
people. 5
albino (white mouse). 6 a (of hair) having
lost its colour esp. in
old age. b (of a person) white-haired. 7 colloq.
innocent,
untainted. 8 (in comb.) (of esp. animals) having
some white on the
body (white-throated). 9 a (of a plant) having white flowers or pale-coloured
fruit etc. (white
hyacinth; white cauliflower). b (of a tree) having light-coloured bark etc. (white
ash; white poplar). 10 (of wine)
made from white grapes or dark grapes
with the skins removed. 11 (of coffee) with milk or
cream added. 12
transparent,
colourless (white glass). 13
hist. counter-revolutionary or
reactionary (white
guard; white army). --n. 1 a white colour or
pigment. 2 a white
clothes or
material (dressed in white). b (in pl.) white garments as
worn in cricket,
tennis, etc. 3 a (in a game or sport) a white
piece, ball, etc. b the
player using such pieces. 4 the white
part or
albumen round the yolk of an egg. 5 the visible part of the
eyeball round the
iris. 6 (White) a
member of a light-skinned race. 7 a white
butterfly. 8 a
blank space in
printing. --v.tr.
archaic make white. øbleed white
drain (a
person,
country, etc.) of
wealth etc. white
admiral a butterfly, Limenitis camilla, with a white
band across its wings. white
ant a
termite. white
cell (or corpuscle) a
leucocyte. white
Christmas Christmas with snow on the ground. white
coal water as a
source of
power. white-collar (of a worker)
engaged in
clerical or
administrative rather than
manual work. white
currant a
cultivar of
redcurrant with pale
edible berries. whited
sepulchre see SEPULCHRE. white
dwarf a
small very dense star. white
elephant a
useless and troublesome possession or
thing. white
ensign see ENSIGN. white
feather a
symbol of
cowardice (a white feather in the tail of a game-bird
being a mark of
bad breeding). white fish fish with pale
flesh, e.g.
plaice,
cod, etc. white flag a symbol of
surrender or a
period of
truce. White
Friar a
Carmelite. white
frost see FROST. white goods 1
domestic linen. 2
large domestic
electrical equipment. white
heat 1 the
temperature at
which metal emits white
light. 2 a
state of
intense passion or
activity. white
hope a person expected to
achieve much for a group,
organization, etc. white horses white-crested waves at
sea. white-hot at white heat. White
House the
official residence of the US
President in Washington. white lead a
mixture of lead
carbonate and hydrated lead
oxide used as pigment. white lie a
harmless or
trivial untruth. white light colourless light, e.g.
ordinary daylight. white lime lime
mixed with water as a
coating for walls;
whitewash. white
magic magic used
only for
beneficent purposes. white
matter the part of the
brain and
spinal cord consisting
mainly of
nerve fibres (see
also grey matter). white
meat poultry,
veal,
rabbit, and
pork. white metal a white or
silvery alloy. white
monk a
Cistercian. white
night a
sleepless night. white
noise noise containing
many frequencies with
equal intensities. white-out a dense
blizzard esp. in
polar regions. white
ox-eye = ox-eye
daisy. White
Paper (in the UK) a
Government report giving
information or proposals on an
issue. white
pepper see PEPPER. white
poplar =
ABELE. white rose the
emblem of Yorkshire or the House of
York. White
Russian a
Belorussian. white
sale a sale of
household linen. white
sauce a sauce of
flour, melted
butter, and milk or cream. White
slave a
woman tricked or forced
into prostitution, usu.
abroad. White
slavery traffic in White slaves. white sock =
STOCKING 3. white
spirit light
petroleum as a
solvent. white
sugar purified sugar. white
tie a man's white bow-tie as part of full
evening dress. white
vitriol Chem.
zinc sulphate. white water a
shallow or foamy
stretch of water. white
wedding a wedding at which the
bride wears a
formal white wedding dress. white whale a
northern cetacean, Delphinapterus leucas, white
when adult: also called
BELUGA. øøwhitely adv. whiteness n. whitish adj. [OE hwit f. Gmc]