white

The definition of white is colorless, or the non-yolk part of an egg.

(noun)

  1. The color of the snow is an example of white.
  2. A man who identities himself as Caucasian is an example of someone who is white.
  3. The albumen of an egg is an example of an egg white.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See white in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective whiter, whitest

  1. 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
  2. of a light or pale color; specif.,
    1. gray; silvery; hoary
    2. very blond
    3. pale; wan; pallid; ashen: a face white with terror
    4. light-yellow or amber
    5. blank: said of a space unmarked by printing, writing, etc.
    6. of a light-gray color and lustrous appearance: said of silver and other metals
    7. made of silver
    8. snowy: a white Christmas
  3. lacking color; colorless: white creme de menthe
  4. clothed in white; wearing a white habit: the white Friars
  5. morally or spiritually pure; spotless; innocent
  6. free from evil intent; relatively harmless: white magic, a white lie
    1. having a light-colored skin; Caucasoid
    2. of, controlled by, or restricted to Caucasoids
    3. Origin: < notions of racial superiority

      Slang honest; honorable; fair; decent
  7. being at white heat
  8. reactionary, counterrevolutionary, or royalist, as opposed to red ()
  9. Rare happy; fortunate; auspicious: said of times and seasons

Origin: ME hwit < OE, akin to Ger weiss, ON hvitr, MDu wit < IE *kweid-, to gleam, bright, white > wheat, OSlav švěšta, a light, candle

noun

    1. white color
    2. a white pigment, paint, or dye
  1. the state of being white; specif.,
    1. fairness of complexion
    2. purity; innocence
  2. a white or light-colored part; specif.,
    1. the albumen of an egg
    2. the white part of the eyeball
    3. a blank space in printing, writing, etc.
    4. the white or light-colored part of meat, wood, etc.
  3. something white or light-colored; specif.,
    1. white cloth
    2. white garments or vestments; white uniform
    3. a white breed, esp. of pig
    4. a highly refined, usually bleached flour
    5. white bread
    6. white wine
    7. Chess the player or side with the white or lighter-colored pieces
  4. a person with a light-colored skin; member of the Caucasoid division of humans
  5. a member of a reactionary or counterrevolutionary faction, party, etc. in certain European countries
  6. leukorrhea
  7. Archery
    1. Archaic a white target
    2. the outermost ring of a target
    3. a hit on this ring

transitive verb whited, whiting

  1. to make white; whiten
  2. to leave blank spaces in or around (printed or written matter, illustrations, etc.): often with out

Origin: ME whiten < OE hwitian < the adj.

  1. White, Byron R(aymond) 1917-2002; U.S. jurist: associate justice, Supreme Court (1962-93)
  2. White, E(lwyn) B(rooks) 1899-1985; U.S. writer
  3. White, Edward Douglass 1845-1921; U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. (1910-21)
  4. White, Gilbert 1720-93; Eng. naturalist & clergyman: author of The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
  5. White, Patrick (Victor Martindale) 1912-90; Austral. writer
  6. White, Stanford 1853-1906; U.S. architect
  7. White, Walter (Francis) 1893-1955; U.S. author & civil rights leader

See white in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Games
    a. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.
    b. The player using these pieces.
  5. a. The outermost ring of an archery target.
    b. A hit in this ring.
  6. whites Pathology Leukorrhea.
  7. A politically ultraconservative or reactionary person.
adjective whit·er, whit·est
  1. Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.
  2. Approaching the color white, as:
    a. Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale: white wine.
    b. Pale gray; silvery and lustrous: white hair.
    c. Bloodless; blanched.
  3. Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.
  4. also White Of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin: voting patterns within the white population.
  5. Not written or printed on; blank.
  6. Unsullied; pure.
  7. Habited in white: white nuns.
  8. Accompanied by or mantled with snow: a white Christmas.
  9. a. Incandescent: white flames.
    b. Intensely heated; impassioned: white with fury.
  10. Ultraconservative or reactionary.
  11. With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.
transitive verb whit·ed, whit·ing, whites
  1. Printing To create or leave blank spaces in (printed or illustrated matter). Often used with out.
  2. Archaic
    a. To whiten; whitewash.
    b. To blanch.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old English hwīt; see kweit- in Indo-European roots

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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).

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