yellow

[ yel-oh ]

noun

1. a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nanometers.
2. the yolk of an egg.
3. a yellow pigment or dye.
4. Informal. yellow light.
5. Slang. yellow jacket ( def 2 ).

adjective

, yel·low·er, yel·low·est.

1. of the color yellow.
2. Disparaging and Offensive.
   1. designating or pertaining to an Asian person or Asian peoples.
   2. designating or pertaining to a person of mixed racial origin, especially of black and white heritage.
3. having a sallow or yellowish complexion.
4. Informal. cowardly.

   Synonyms: fearful, timorous, craven

5. 1. (of a newspaper, book, etc.) featuring articles, pictures, or other content that is sensational, especially morbidly or offensively so:

      yellow rags;

      yellow biographies.

   2. dishonest in editorial comment and the presentation of news, especially in sacrificing truth for sensationalism, as in yellow journalism yellow press
6. jealous; envious.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become yellow:

   Yellow the sheets with dye.

   The white stationery had yellowed with age.

yellow

/ ˈjɛləʊ /

noun

1. any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same hue. They lie in the approximate wavelength range 585–575 nanometres. Yellow is the complementary colour of blue and with cyan and magenta forms a set of primary colours xanthous
2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
3. yellow cloth or clothing

   dressed in yellow

4. the yolk of an egg
5. a yellow ball in snooker, etc
6. any of a group of pieridine butterflies the males of which have yellow or yellowish wings, esp the clouded yellows ( Colias spp.) and the brimstone

adjective

1. of the colour yellow
2. yellowish in colour or having parts or marks that are yellowish

   yellow jasmine

3. having a yellowish skin; Mongoloid
4. informal.
   cowardly or afraid
5. offensively sensational, as a cheap newspaper (esp in the phrase yellow press )

verb

1. to make or become yellow

Sensitive Note

It is perceived as insulting to use yellow to describe a person of Asian or mixed racial origin, as in the terms yellow peril and high yellow.

Derived Forms

• ˈyellowly, adverb
• ˈyellowness, noun
• ˈyellowish, adjective
• ˈyellowy, adjective

Other Words From

• yellow·ly adverb
• yellow·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellow¹

First recorded before 900; 1895–1900 yellow fordef 9; Middle English yelou (adjective and noun), Old English geolo, geolu (adjective); cognate with Dutch geel, German gelb, Old Norse gulr; akin to Latin helvus “pale yellow,” Persian zar “gold” ( jargon ²( def ) ), Sanskrit hári “brown, green, yellow”

Word History and Origins

Origin of yellow¹

Old English geolu; related to Old Saxon, Old High German gelo, Old Norse gulr, Latin helvus

Example Sentences

Fifty-five years ago, preschoolers were captivated by the TV performance of a fuzzy blue monster, two striped shirt-wearing best friends and a big yellow bird.

From Los Angeles Times

Let’s see where that Yellow Brick Road leads.

From Los Angeles Times

Making his rounds, Im was accosted by a column of chattering elementary school students in yellow uniforms.

From Los Angeles Times

As a former footballer of considerable pedigree - including England captain and striker, with 48 goals in 80 appearances - he famously never received a red or yellow card during his career.

From BBC

“We talked about possibly doing a surreal yellow, almost postapocalyptic look, but it just had this artificiality that we didn’t like, so we leaned into real photography as a starting point.”

From Los Angeles Times