blue

[ bloo ]

noun

1. the pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 450 and 500 nanometers.

   Synonyms: sapphire, cerulean, azure

2. bluing.
3. something having a blue color:

   Place the blue next to the red.

4. a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol:

   Tomorrow the blues will play the browns.

5. (often initial capital letter) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself. Compare gray ¹( def 13 ).
6. bluestocking.
7. blue ribbon ( def 1 ).
8. any of several blue-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
9. Printing. blueline.
10. the blue,
    1. the sky.
    2. the sea.
    3. the remote distance:

       They've vanished into the blue somewhere.

adjective

, blu·er, blu·est.

1. of the color of blue:

   a blue tie.

2. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Union army in the American Civil War.
3. (of the skin) discolored by cold, contusion, fear, or vascular collapse.
4. depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy:

   She felt blue about not being chosen for the team.

   Synonyms: downcast, glum, sad, dispirited, doleful, morose, unhappy, despondent

   Antonyms: happy

5. holding or offering little hope; dismal; bleak:

   a blue outlook.

   Synonyms: gloomy

6. characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion:

   statutes that were blue and unrealistic.

   Synonyms: strait-laced, puritanical, righteous

7. marked by blasphemy:

   The air was blue with oaths.

8. (of an animal's pelage) grayish-blue.
9. indecent; somewhat obscene; risqué:

   a blue joke or film.

10. Politics.
    1. relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Democratic Party in the United States; Democratic: Compare red ¹( def 14 ).

       The county effectively turned blue, with all 38 district judges elected being Democrats.

    2. British. politically conservative.

verb (used with object)

, blued, blu·ing or blue·ing.

1. to make blue; dye a blue color.
2. to tinge with bluing:

   Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.

verb (used without object)

, blued, blu·ing or blue·ing.

1. to become or turn blue.

Blue

¹

/ bluː /

noun

1. informal.
   a nickname for a person with red hair

blue

²

/ bluː /

noun

1. any of a group of colours, such as that of a clear unclouded sky, that have wavelengths in the range 490–445 nanometres. Blue is the complementary colour of yellow and with red and green forms a set of primary colours cyanic
2. a dye or pigment of any of these colours
3. blue cloth or clothing

   dressed in blue

4. 1. a sportsperson who represents or has represented Oxford or Cambridge University and has the right to wear the university colour (dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge)

      an Oxford blue

   2. the honour of so representing one's university
5. an informal name for Tory
6. any of numerous small blue-winged butterflies of the genera Lampides, Polyommatus , etc: family Lycaenidae
7. archaic.
   short for bluestocking
8. slang.
   a policeman
9. archery a blue ring on a target, between the red and the black, scoring five points
10. a blue ball in snooker, etc
11. another name for blueing
12. slang.
    an argument or fight

    he had a blue with a taxi driver

13. slang.
    Alsobluey a court summons, esp for a traffic offence
14. informal.
    a mistake; error
15. out of the blue
    apparently from nowhere; unexpectedly

    the opportunity came out of the blue

16. into the blue
    into the unknown or the far distance

adjective

1. of the colour blue
2. (of the flesh) having a purple tinge, as from cold or contusion
3. depressed, moody, or unhappy
4. dismal or depressing

   a blue day

5. indecent, titillating, or pornographic

   blue films

6. bluish in colour or having parts or marks that are bluish

   a blue fox

   a blue whale

7. rare.
   aristocratic; noble; patrician See blue blood

   a blue family

8. relating to, supporting, or representing the Democratic Party Compare red 1

verb

1. to make, dye, or become blue
2. tr to treat (laundry) with blueing
3. slang.
   tr to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander

Derived Forms

• ˈbluely, adverb
• ˈblueness, noun

Other Words From

• blue·ly adverb
• blue·ness noun
• half-blue adjective
• un·blued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English blewe, from Anglo-French blew, bl(i)u, bl(i)ef “blue, livid, discolored,” Old French blo, blau ( French bleu ), from unattested Germanic blǣwaz; compare Old English blǣwen, contraction of blǣhǣwen “deep blue, perse,” Old Frisian blāw, Middle Dutch blā(u), Old High German blāo ( German blau ), Old Norse blār

Word History and Origins

Origin of blue¹

C13: from Old French bleu , of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse blār , Old High German blāo , Middle Dutch blā ; related to Latin flāvus yellow

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. blue in the face, exhausted and speechless, as from excessive anger, physical strain, etc.:

   I reminded him about it till I was blue in the face.

2. out of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly:

   The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.

More idioms and phrases containing blue

• between a rock and a hard place (devil and deep blue sea)
• black and blue
• bolt from the blue
• have the blues
• into thin air (the blue)
• like greased lightning (a blue streak)
• once in a blue moon
• out of a clear blue sky
• talk one's arm off (a blue streak
• until blue in the face)

Example Sentences

She wears a simple dark blue dress and her hands rest on her lap.

From Science Magazine

According to police, an older model blue Toyota Corolla committed a pair of moving violations around 2:55 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times

An associate of hers also told officers that she had very little energy and would burst into tears out of the blue after the incident, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times

The cable channels were NBCUniversal’s equivalent of blue skies, routinely delivering three-quarters of the company’s profit.

From Los Angeles Times

"We might see the divide between red and blue states widen," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• blue-green