English▸ adjective
1 of the color between green and orange in the spectrum, a primary subtractive color complementary to blue; colored like ripe lemons or egg yolks:
curly yellow hair.
▪ offensive having a naturally yellowish or olive skin (as used to describe Chinese or Japanese people).
▪ denoting a warning of danger which is thought to be near but not actually imminent:
he put Camp Visoko on yellow alert.
2 informal cowardly:
he'd better get back there quick and prove he's not yellow.
▪ archaic showing jealousy or suspicion.
3 (of a book or newspaper) unscrupulously sensational:
he based his judgment on headlines and yellow journalism.
▸ noun
1 yellow color or pigment:
the craft detonated in a blaze of red and yellow
a wide range of colours from rich vibrant reds, yellows, blues, and greens to more unexpected pastel shades.
▪ yellow clothes or material:
everyone dresses in yellow.
2 (yellows) any of a number of plant diseases in which the leaves turn yellow, typically caused by viruses and transmitted by insects.
▸ verb [no object] become yellow, especially with age:
the cream paint was beginning to yellow.
– ORIGIN Old English geolu, geolo, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch geel and German gelb, also to gold.