gray

¹

[ grey ]

adjective

, gray·er, gray·est.

1. of a color between white and black; having a neutral hue.
2. dark, dismal, or gloomy:

   gray skies.

3. dull, dreary, or monotonous.
4. having gray hair; gray-headed.
5. pertaining to old age; mature.
6. Informal. pertaining to, involving, or composed of older persons:

   gray households.

7. old or ancient.
8. indeterminate and intermediate in character:

   The tax audit concentrated on deductions in the gray area between purely personal and purely business expenses.

noun

1. any achromatic color; any color with zero chroma, intermediate between white and black.
2. something of this color.
3. gray material or clothing:

   to dress in gray.

4. an unbleached and undyed condition.
5. (often initial capital letter) a member of the Confederate army in the American Civil War or the army itself. Compare blue ( def 5 ).
6. a horse of a gray color.
7. a horse that appears white but is not an albino.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become gray.

gray

²

[ grey ]

noun

, Physics.

1. the standard unit of absorbed dose of radiation (such as x-rays) in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the amount of ionizing radiation absorbed when the energy imparted to matter is 1 J/kg (one joule per kilogram). : Gy

Gray

³

[ grey ]

noun

1. A·sa [ey, -s, uh], 1810–88, U.S. botanist.
2. Robert, 1755–1806, U.S. explorer and sea captain: discovered the Columbia River.
3. Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.

Gray

¹

/ ɡreɪ /

noun

1. GrayThomas17161771MEnglishWRITING: poet Thomas. 1716–71, English poet, best known for his Elegy written in a Country Churchyard (1751)

gray

²

/ ɡreɪ /

adjective

1. a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey

gray

³

/ ɡreɪ /

noun

1. the derived SI unit of absorbed ionizing radiation dose or kerma equivalent to an absorption per unit mass of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material. 1 gray is equivalent to 100 rads Gy

gray

/ grā /

1. The SI derived unit used to measure the energy absorbed by a substance per unit weight of the substance when exposed to radiation. One gray is equal to one joule per kilogram, or 100 rads. The gray is named after British physicist Louis Harold Gray (1905–1965).

Derived Forms

• ˈgrayness, noun
• ˈgrayly, adverb
• ˈgrayish, adjective

Other Words From

• grayly especially British, greyly adverb
• grayness especially British, greyness noun
• un·grayed especially British, un·greyed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gray¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English grei, grai, Old English grǣg, grēg; cognate with German grau, Old Norse grār

Origin of gray²

First recorded in 1975; named in honor of Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English radiobiologist

Word History and Origins

Origin of gray¹

C20: named after Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English physicist

Idioms and Phrases

• get gray hair from

Example Sentences

I lie and nod my head yes while wiping the tears on my gray fleece sleeve.

From The Daily Beast

Then the gift card is shopped online in a gray market to collect cold currency.

From The Daily Beast

“He was an absolutely gray and insignificant personality,” says Kurnosova.

From The Daily Beast

Caller: “He has a gray, gray coat with black sleeves and gray pants on.”

From The Daily Beast

Her neon blue hair is teased high with a gray stripe emerging from the front.

From The Daily Beast

Very trim and strong, and confident he looked, with the glow of youth in his cheeks, and the spark of happiness in his gray eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

They nodded at each other when they met, and the gray man showed him a little ship with rigging that took up and down.

From Project Gutenberg

Some hidden magnetism burst from him like an aura, and his cold pasty face and light gray eyes flamed into positive beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

They climbed another dune, and came upon the great gray sea at low tide.

From Project Gutenberg

The gray eyes, once flashing with the light of kindly humor, now softened with sympathy, now glowed with pity.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• drab
• dusty
• grey
• silvery