English▸ adjective
1 of the colour between green and orange in the spectrum, a primary subtractive colour complementary to blue; coloured like ripe lemons or egg yolks:
a yellow dress
the deep yellow glow from the oil lamp.
▪ offensive, dated having or regarded as having 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 derogatory not brave; cowardly:
he'd better get back there quick and prove he's not yellow.
▪ archaic showing jealousy or suspicion.
3 (of a style of writing, especially in journalism) lurid and sensational:
he based his judgement on headlines and yellow journalism.
▸ noun
1 [mass noun] yellow colour or pigment:
the craft detonated in a blaze of red and yellow
[count noun] 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 a yellow ball or piece in a game or sport, especially the yellow ball in snooker:
he missed an easy yellow in frame four.
3 [with modifier] used in names of moths or butterflies that are mainly yellow in colour.
▪ a butterfly related to the brimstones and sulphurs (Eurema, Colias, and other genera, family Pieridae) See also clouded yellow.
▪ a small European moth (several species in the family Geometridae).
4 (yellows) any of a number of plant diseases in which the leaves turn yellow, typically caused by viruses and transmitted by insects.
– ORIGIN Old English geolu, geolo, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch geel and German gelb, also to gold.