having the color of pure snow or milk; of the color of radiated, transmitted, or reflected light containing all of the visible rays of the spectrum; opposite to black
of a light or pale color; specif.,
gray; silvery; hoary
very blond
pale; wan; pallid; ashen: a face white with terror
light-yellow or amber
blank: said of a space unmarked by printing, writing, etc.
of a light-gray color and lustrous appearance: said of silver and other metals
made of silver
snowy: a white Christmas
lacking color; colorless: white creme de menthe
clothed in white; wearing a white habit: the white Friars
morally or spiritually pure; spotless; innocent
free from evil intent; relatively harmless: white magic, a white lie
having a light-colored skin; Caucasoid
of, controlled by, or restricted to Caucasoids
☆ Slang honest; honorable; fair; decent
being at white heat
reactionary, counterrevolutionary, or royalist, as opposed to red ()
Rare happy; fortunate; auspicious: said of times and seasons
noun
white color
a white pigment, paint, or dye
the state of being white; specif.,
fairness of complexion
purity; innocence
a white or light-colored part; specif.,
the albumen of an egg
the white part of the eyeball
a blank space in printing, writing, etc.
the white or light-colored part of meat, wood, etc.
White,
Edward Douglass 1845-1921; U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. (1910-21)
White,
Gilbert 1720-93; Eng. naturalist & clergyman: author of The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
White,
Patrick (Victor Martindale) 1912-90; Austral. writer
White,
Stanford 1853-1906; U.S. architect
White,
Walter (Francis) 1893-1955; U.S. author & civil rights leader
See white in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(hwīt, wīt)
noun
The achromatic color of maximum lightness; the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; the complement or antagonist of black, the other extreme of the neutral gray series. Although typically a response to maximum stimulation of the retina, the perception of white appears always to depend on contrast.
The white or nearly white part, as:
a. The albumen of an egg.
b. The white part of an eyeball.
c. A blank unprinted area, as of an advertisement.
One that is white or nearly white, as:
a. whites White trousers or a white outfit of a special nature: tennis whites.
b. whites The white dress uniform of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard.
c. A white wine.
d. A white pigment.
e. A white breed, species, or variety of animal.
f. also White A member of a racial group of people having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin. See Usage Note at black.
g. Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar. Often used in the plural.
Games
a. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.
b. The player using these pieces.
a. The outermost ring of an archery target.
b. A hit in this ring.
whitesPathology Leukorrhea.
A politically ultraconservative or reactionary person.
adjectivewhit·er, whit·est
Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.
Approaching the color white, as:
a. Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale: white wine.
b. Pale gray; silvery and lustrous: white hair.
c. Bloodless; blanched.
Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.
also White Of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin: voting patterns within the white population.
Not written or printed on; blank.
Unsullied; pure.
Habited in white: white nuns.
Accompanied by or mantled with snow: a white Christmas.
a. Incandescent: white flames.
b. Intensely heated; impassioned: white with fury.
Ultraconservative or reactionary.
With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.
transitive verbwhit·ed, whit·ing, whites
Printing To create or leave blank spaces in (printed or illustrated matter). Often used with out.
Archaic
a. To whiten; whitewash.
b. To blanch.
Related Forms:
whiteˈness noun
, Andrew Dickson 1832-1918.
American educator and diplomat who founded Cornell University with Ezra Cornell and was its first president (1868-1885). He also served as U.S. ambassador to Germany (1897-1902).
, Byron Raymond 1917-2002.
American jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1962-1993).
, Edward Douglass 1845-1921.
American jurist who served as an associate justice (1894-1910) and the chief justice (1910-1921) of the U.S. Supreme Court.
, E(lwyn) B(rooks) 1899-1985.
American writer and humorist who contributed essays, editorials, and parodies to the New Yorker. He also wrote children's books, including Charlotte's Web (1952), and revised a 1918 writing manual, The Elements of Style (1959).
, Patrick 1912-1990.
Australian writer whose powerfully descriptive and original novels include The Tree of Man (1955) and Voss (1957). He won the 1973 Nobel Prize for literature.
, Stanford 1853-1906.
American architect. A member of the prominent architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, he was particularly known for his interior designs and his ornate, eclectic buildings.
, T(erence) H(anbury) 1906-1964.
British writer best known for the novel The Once and Future King (1958), a retelling of the Arthurian legend.
, T(heodore) H(arold) 1915-1986.
American political journalist noted for his commentaries on presidential elections, including The Making of the President 1960 (1961).
, William Allen 1868-1944.
American newspaper editor and writer noted for his politically influential editorials and for his autobiography (1946).