Dictionary

yellow en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(UK) audio
/ˈjeləʉ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
/ˈjɛlə/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlo/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlə/ Southern US, folk speech
/ˈjɛlʌo̞/ Dublin
/ˈjɛlo(w)/ (Canada)
/ˈjʌlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
(Australia) audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Ireland)
(US) audio
/ˈjɛl.ɚ/ Southern US, folk speech
audio Tamil Nadu
[-ə(w)] Ottawa Valley
[ˈjɤlʊ] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛːloː/ (India, North)
/ˈjɪlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæl.ə/ see yeller
[ˈjɛlo(w)] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛloʊ/ (General-American)
/ˈjɛlou/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
/ˈjæl.ɚ/ see yeller
/ˈjɑlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæləʉ/ salary–celery merger
audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Southern-England)
/ˈ(j)ɛlːoː/ (India, South)

Etymology

From Middle English yelwe, yelou, from Old English ġeolwe, oblique form of Old English ġeolu, from Proto-West Germanic *gelu, from Proto-Germanic *gelwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃wós, from *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Cognate with Scots yella (“yellow”), North Frisian gööl, güül (“yellow”), Saterland Frisian jeel (“yellow”), West Frisian giel (“yellow”), Cimbrian gel, ghéel (“yellow”), Dutch geel (“yellow”), Dutch Low Saxon gael, gel (“yellow”), German gelb, gehl (“yellow”), German Low German gel, geel, gęl, gäl (“yellow”), Luxembourgish giel (“yellow”), Vilamovian gaoł (“yellow”), Yiddish געל (gel), געלב (gelb, “yellow”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish gul (“yellow”), Faroese and Icelandic gulur (“yellow”). Compare also Welsh gell (“bay, tawny”), Latin helvus (“dull yellow”), Irish geal (“white, bright”), Lithuanian žalias (“green”), Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “light green”), Persian زرد (zard, “yellow”), Sanskrit हरि (hari, “greenish-yellow”), Russian жёлтый (žóltyj, “yellow”), Russian зелёный (zeljónyj, “green”). Not related to Italian giallo—see galbinus. The verb is from Middle English yelwen, ȝalowen, ȝolewen, from Old English ġeolwian, from the adjective.

Meanings

Of a yellow hue.
- There's a one-eyed yellow idol / To the north of Kathmandu; / There's a little marble cross below the town; / And a brokenhearted woman / Tends the grave of 'Mad' Carew, / While the yellow god for ever gazes down. 1911, J. Milton Hayes, The green eye of the little yellow god:
- Red o'er the forest glows the setting sun, / The line of yellow light dies fast away / That crown'd the eastern copse, and chill and dun / Falls on the moor the brief November day. 1827, [John Keble], “Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity”, in The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 85:
- A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought / First fruits, the green ear and the yellow sheaf. 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, line 434:
- He had a yellow laptop in his bag.
(informal) Lacking courage.
- What you should be is not yellow at all. If you're supposed to sock somebody in the jaw, and you sort of feel like doing it, you should do it. 1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, chapter 13, in The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC:
- You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what's coming to you! 1975, Monty Python, Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
Characterized by sensationalism, lurid content, and doubtful accuracy.
- The denizens of the gossipy world of the pink press, purple prose and yellow tabloids are shivering over disputed photographs of Princess Caroline of Monaco. 2004 October 4, Doreen Carvajal, “Photo edict muffles gossipy press”, in International Herald Tribune, retrieved 29 Jul 2008:
(derogatory, ethnic, of the skin, offensive, slur) Of a hue attributed to Far East Asians, especially the Chinese.
- They were all tall and all handsome, though they varied in their degree of darkness of skin, some being as dark as Mahomed, and some as yellow as a Chinese. 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
(derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur) Far East Asian (relating to Asian people).
- The two youths, the brown and the yellow, faced each other at the cross-roads, under a dim street-lamp. 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 516:
- Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man. 1913, Sax Rohmer, The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu:
(Australia, dated, offensive) Of mixed Aboriginal and Caucasian ancestry.
- A big full-blood gin cottoned onto me. “Give us a drink, yeller feller.” 1965, Mudrooroo, Wild Cat Falling, HarperCollins, published 2001, page 74:
- "Eh, Oscar—you hear about your yeller nephew?". 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter VI, in Capricornia, page 64:
(US, dated) Synonym of high yellow.
- Charley threw her over for a yellow gal named Nancy: he never forgave Vashti for the vanishing from his life of a menace that had come to mean more to him than Vashti herself. 1933 September 9, James Thurber, “My Life and Hard Times—VI. A Sequence of Servants”, in The New Yorker:
(UK) Related to the Liberal Democrats.
- yellow constituencies
Related to the Free Democratic Party, a political party in Germany.
- the black–yellow coalition

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
yellowest	Degree=Sup		lexicographic
yeallow		alternative, obsolete	lexicographic
yellower	Degree=Cmp		lexicographic
yeller		alternative, dialectal, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yaller		alternative, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic

Translations (362)

si කහ (having yellow as its color) · sk žltý (having yellow as its color) · aii ܫܵܥܘܿܬ݂ܵܐ (having yellow as its color) · cu жлътъ (having yellow as its color) · zh 黃 /黄 (having yellow as its color) · gur dõbʋkɔ (having yellow as its color) · id kuning (having yellow as its color) · kri yala (having yellow as its color) · os бур (having yellow as its color) · bkn kuning (having yellow as its color) · ckb زەرد (having yellow as its color) · cy melen (having yellow as its color) · da gul (having yellow as its color) · tk sary (having yellow as its color) · sco yella (having yellow as its color) · fur ğâl (having yellow as its color) · ceb dalag (having yellow as its color) · ca groc (having yellow as its color) · gu પીળું (having yellow as its color) · chr ᏓᎶᏁᎦ (having yellow as its color) · tyv сарыг (having yellow as its color) · lv dzeltens (having yellow as its color) · co giallu (having yellow as its color) · alt сары (having yellow as its color) · aho 𑜎𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫 (having yellow as its color) · sq verdhë (having yellow as its color) · nmb iuas (having yellow as its color) · nl geel (having yellow as its color) · lb giel (having yellow as its color) · ast amariellu (having yellow as its color) · ak akokɔ sradeɛ (having yellow as its color) · naq ǃhūni (having yellow as its color) · csb żôłti (having yellow as its color) · liv vīri (having yellow as its color) · fr froussard (lacking courage) · mrj сары (having yellow as its color) · sc grogu (having yellow as its color) · yo àwo òdodo (having yellow as its color) · rm melen (having yellow as its color) · gl marelo (having yellow as its color) · tg зард (having yellow as its color) · tet kinur (having yellow as its color) · ltg būglys (lacking courage) · vo yelovik (having yellow as its color) · ig odo (having yellow as its color) · lez хъипи (having yellow as its color) · gmw-cfr gäl (having yellow as its color) · am ቢጫ (having yellow as its color) · ady гъожьы (having yellow as its color) · ja 黄色い (having yellow as its color) · yo púpà (having yellow as its color) · cuk koroguad (having yellow as its color) · cy melyn (having yellow as its color) · unm wisawsi (having yellow as its color) · grc ξανθός (having yellow as its color) · pt covarde (lacking courage) · hop sikyangpu (having yellow as its color) · kw melyn (having yellow as its color) · cic lakna (having yellow as its color) · sh жу̑т (having yellow as its color) · nuk hicp̕iqak (having yellow as its color) · az sarı (having yellow as its color) · gl amarelo (having yellow as its color) · pt amarelo (having yellow as its color) · oj ozaawizi (having yellow as its color) · zza zard (having yellow as its color) · lt geltonas (having yellow as its color) · win zii (having yellow as its color) · ur پِیلا (having yellow as its color) · ht jòn (having yellow as its color) · fr lâche (lacking courage) · nwy kateanteharia (having yellow as its color) · af laf (lacking courage) · bxd xui⁵⁵ (having yellow as its color) · bug ma-ridi (having yellow as its color) · mnc ᠰᡠᠸᠠᠶᠠᠨ (having yellow as its color) · dsb žołty (having yellow as its color) · sh žȗt (having yellow as its color) · qu q'illu (having yellow as its color) · la flāvus (having yellow as its color) · bh पीयर (having yellow as its color) · fy giel (having yellow as its color) · lb feig (lacking courage) · pdt jäl (having yellow as its color) · ro laș (lacking courage) · os бор (having yellow as its color) · hu gyáva (lacking courage) · mg mavo (having yellow as its color) · na bababo (having yellow as its color) · mi mangaeka (having yellow as its color) · ur زَرْد (having yellow as its color) · it codardo (lacking courage) · eo flava (having yellow as its color) · kk сары (having yellow as its color) · mt isfar (having yellow as its color) · txb tute (having yellow as its color) · gug sa'yju (having yellow as its color) · kg ya mwamba (having yellow as its color) · sv gul (having yellow as its color) · de feige (lacking courage) · bg жълт (having yellow as its color) · hil dalag (having yellow as its color) · cop ⲁⲟⲩⲓⲛ (having yellow as its color) · gd buidhe (having yellow as its color) · ksw ဘီ (having yellow as its color) · is gulur (having yellow as its color) · shn လိူင် (having yellow as its color) · mww daj (having yellow as its color) · gld согдён (having yellow as its color) · osx gelu (having yellow as its color) · mhr оралге (having yellow as its color) · zza zerd (diq) (having yellow as its color) · bi yelo (having yellow as its color) · hrx gelleb (having yellow as its color) · dtp osilou (having yellow as its color) · mn шар (having yellow as its color) · sa हारिद्र (having yellow as its color) · vro kõllanõ (having yellow as its color) · osx gelo (having yellow as its color) · skb ว๊าง (having yellow as its color) · mi kōwhai (having yellow as its color) · uk жо́втий (having yellow as its color) · ce можа (having yellow as its color) · vec xało (having yellow as its color) · tpn îub (having yellow as its color) · sm lega (having yellow as its color) · frr güül (having yellow as its color) · br melen (having yellow as its color) · lou jònn (having yellow as its color) · mr पिवळा (having yellow as its color) · sas koniŋ (having yellow as its color) · ta மஞ்சன் (having yellow as its color) · vi vàng (having yellow as its color) · kl sungaaqeq (having yellow as its color) · bcl giyaw (having yellow as its color) · pt amarelão (lacking courage) · sms viskkâd (having yellow as its color) · om kelloo (having yellow as its color) · mrw mabinaning (having yellow as its color) · mba dalag (having yellow as its color) · tvl hega (having yellow as its color) · ang ġeolu (having yellow as its color) · pt amarelona (lacking courage) · pap cobarde (stinki) (lacking courage) · hi पीला (having yellow as its color) · frr gul (having yellow as its color) · ka ყვითელი (having yellow as its color) · af geel (having yellow as its color) · fo gulur (having yellow as its color) · ig èdo (having yellow as its color) · km លឿង (having yellow as its color) · mdf тюжя (having yellow as its color) · fur zâl (having yellow as its color) · umb ungolo (having yellow as its color) · udm ӵуж (having yellow as its color) · sl žolt (having yellow as its color) · qu garwaş (having yellow as its color) · kn ಹಳದಿ (having yellow as its color) · lus dâwizep (lacking courage) · rmy gàlbeno (having yellow as its color) · uz sariq (having yellow as its color) · hur luluts' (having yellow as its color) · ast mariellu (having yellow as its color) · sa पीत (having yellow as its color) · khb ᦵᦜᦲᧂ (having yellow as its color) · pl żółty (having yellow as its color) · tdd ᥘᥫᥒᥴ (having yellow as its color) · nia ruzõ (having yellow as its color) · gmw-cfr jäl (having yellow as its color) · ko 노랗다 (having yellow as its color) · wo mboq (having yellow as its color) · he פַּחְדָן (lacking courage) · bua шара (having yellow as its color) · tr korkak (lacking courage) · ltg dzaltons (having yellow as its color) · tpi yelopela (having yellow as its color) · nia undre (having yellow as its color) · vi màu vàng (having yellow as its color) · akk 𒅊 (having yellow as its color) · vec đal (having yellow as its color) · nds gęl (having yellow as its color) · vec zało (having yellow as its color) · ba һары (having yellow as its color) · ta மஞ்சள் (having yellow as its color) · ia jalne (having yellow as its color) · ar صَفْرَاء (having yellow as its color) · kwk lema̱n'stu (having yellow as its color) · xal шар (having yellow as its color) · ca covard (lacking courage) · rcf zone (having yellow as its color) · sw -a manjano (having yellow as its color) · hil kanaryo (having yellow as its color) · yi געל (having yellow as its color) · az сары (having yellow as its color) · ace kuneng (having yellow as its color) · uga 𐎊𐎗𐎖 (having yellow as its color) · ru трусли́вый (lacking courage) · wyi babedirreen (having yellow as its color) · tpw îub (having yellow as its color) · ne पहेंलो (having yellow as its color) · ro galben (having yellow as its color) · tvl felo (having yellow as its color) · mi renga (having yellow as its color) · be жо́ўты (having yellow as its color) · ce муожа (having yellow as its color) · fj dromodromo (having yellow as its color) · tr sarı (having yellow as its color) · nl laf (lacking courage) · pdc gehl (having yellow as its color) · rif awraɣ (having yellow as its color) · aii ܙܵܪܓܵܐ (having yellow as its color) · min kuniang (having yellow as its color) · moe kauishauat (having yellow as its color) · xdq бухъу (having yellow as its color) · ccc ka'chakamawa (having yellow as its color) · ti ብጫ (having yellow as its color) · ia coarde (lacking courage) · te పసుపు (having yellow as its color) · haw melemele (having yellow as its color) · io flava (having yellow as its color) · fa زَرْد (having yellow as its color) · sd زرد (having yellow as its color) · jv jené (having yellow as its color) · an amariello (having yellow as its color) · szl žůuty (having yellow as its color) · oj ozaawaa (having yellow as its color) · de gelb (having yellow as its color) · ist zalo (having yellow as its color) · yo rúsúrúsú (having yellow as its color) · rm mellen (having yellow as its color) · gmw-cfr jell (having yellow as its color) · mad koneŋ (having yellow as its color) · myv ожо (having yellow as its color) · mrc kʼwesam (having yellow as its color) · vo yelibik (having yellow as its color) · mn ᠰᠢᠷ᠎ᠠ (having yellow as its color) · evn сиңама (having yellow as its color) · ar أصفر (having yellow as its color) · nrf jaune (having yellow as its color) · my ဝါ (having yellow as its color) · qu gillu (having yellow as its color) · it giallo (having yellow as its color) · fr jaune (having yellow as its color) · ab аҩежь (having yellow as its color) · rap toua mamari (having yellow as its color) · ota صاری (having yellow as its color) · ltg voskons (having yellow as its color) · hu sárga (having yellow as its color) · tl dilaw (having yellow as its color) · kmr zer (having yellow as its color) · mk жолт (having yellow as its color) · eu hori (having yellow as its color) · pap hel (having yellow as its color) · ty reʻareʻa (having yellow as its color) · jv kuning (having yellow as its color) · ln bondɔbɔ́ (having yellow as its color) · cs žlutý (having yellow as its color) · ilo duyaw (having yellow as its color) · he צָהֹב (having yellow as its color) · fi keltainen (having yellow as its color) · ood oam (having yellow as its color) · ota زر (having yellow as its color) · sah араҕас (having yellow as its color) · zea geel (having yellow as its color) · unm wisae (having yellow as its color) · ka მშიშარა (lacking courage) · rm gelg (having yellow as its color) · bn হলদে (having yellow as its color) · srn geri (having yellow as its color) · wym gaoł (having yellow as its color) · oc cròc (having yellow as its color) · ps ژېړ (having yellow as its color) · rsk жовти (having yellow as its color) · scn giallu (having yellow as its color) · goh gelo (having yellow as its color) · pam mapapas (having yellow as its color) · syl ꠀꠟꠗꠤꠀ (having yellow as its color) · nds geel (having yellow as its color) · str LELEJ (having yellow as its color) · ko 겁많다 (lacking courage) · so huruud (having yellow as its color) · pam marilo (having yellow as its color) · fi pelkuri (lacking courage) · sl rumen (having yellow as its color) · es amarillo (having yellow as its color) · el κίτρινος (having yellow as its color) · ko 겁많은 (lacking courage) · nah cōztic (having yellow as its color) · nv łitso (having yellow as its color) · lou jonn (having yellow as its color) · el φοβιτσιάρης (lacking courage) · bal زرد (having yellow as its color) · egl śal (having yellow as its color) · vep pakuine (having yellow as its color) · atj osawaw (having yellow as its color) · ceb amarilyo (having yellow as its color) · oj ozaawi- (having yellow as its color) · rm mellan (having yellow as its color) · yo iyèyè (having yellow as its color) · pim oussawauk (having yellow as its color) · krl keldaine (having yellow as its color) · th เหลือง (having yellow as its color) · cv сарӑ (having yellow as its color) · es cobarde (lacking courage) · frr gööl (having yellow as its color) · ga buí (having yellow as its color) · ko 노란 (having yellow as its color) · ase Y@Side Twist (having yellow as its color) · haw lenalena (having yellow as its color) · hi ज़र्द (having yellow as its color) · za lieng (having yellow as its color) · ky сары (having yellow as its color) · mfe zonn (having yellow as its color) · is huglaus (lacking courage) · yo òféfèé (having yellow as its color) · eve хиҥаня (having yellow as its color) · nb gul (having yellow as its color) · lus eng (having yellow as its color) · ug سېرىق (having yellow as its color) · apw łitsog (having yellow as its color) · ar أَصْفَر (having yellow as its color) · as হালধীয়া (having yellow as its color) · ms kuning (having yellow as its color) · pa ਪੀਲਾ (having yellow as its color) · tl amarilyo (having yellow as its color) · lmo giald (having yellow as its color) · ja 臆病な (lacking courage) · vec xaƚo (having yellow as its color) · lo ເຫຼືອງ (having yellow as its color) · ml മഞ്ഞ (having yellow as its color) · el φοβητσιάρης (lacking courage) · hy դեղին (having yellow as its color) · roa-tar gialle (having yellow as its color) · lkt zí (having yellow as its color) · rup galbin (having yellow as its color) · ar جَبَان (lacking courage) · tt сары (having yellow as its color) · na ebabobo (having yellow as its color) · nys birat (having yellow as its color) · ivb nihama (having yellow as its color) · hsb žołty (having yellow as its color) · sm sāmasama (having yellow as its color) · pl tchórzliwy (lacking courage) · el δειλός (lacking courage) · la gilvus (having yellow as its color) · ur اَصْفَر (having yellow as its color) · yue 黃 /黄 (having yellow as its color) · rsk жолти (having yellow as its color) · bg страхли́в (lacking courage) · bo སེར་པོ (having yellow as its color) · aii ܙܲܪܕܹܐ (having yellow as its color) · wa djaene (having yellow as its color) · oc jaune (having yellow as its color) · sv feg (lacking courage) · et kollane (having yellow as its color) · ar صُفْر (having yellow as its color) · ru жёлтый (having yellow as its color) · mak kuŋ̃iʔ (having yellow as its color) · haw lena (having yellow as its color) · su koneng (having yellow as its color) · nds gel (having yellow as its color) · mhr нарынче (having yellow as its color)

yellow en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(UK) audio
/ˈjeləʉ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
/ˈjɛlə/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlo/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlə/ Southern US, folk speech
/ˈjɛlʌo̞/ Dublin
/ˈjɛlo(w)/ (Canada)
/ˈjʌlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
(Australia) audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Ireland)
(US) audio
/ˈjɛl.ɚ/ Southern US, folk speech
audio Tamil Nadu
[-ə(w)] Ottawa Valley
[ˈjɤlʊ] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛːloː/ (India, North)
/ˈjɪlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæl.ə/ see yeller
[ˈjɛlo(w)] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛloʊ/ (General-American)
/ˈjɛlou/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
/ˈjæl.ɚ/ see yeller
/ˈjɑlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæləʉ/ salary–celery merger
audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Southern-England)
/ˈ(j)ɛlːoː/ (India, South)

Etymology

From Middle English yelwe, yelou, from Old English ġeolwe, oblique form of Old English ġeolu, from Proto-West Germanic *gelu, from Proto-Germanic *gelwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃wós, from *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Cognate with Scots yella (“yellow”), North Frisian gööl, güül (“yellow”), Saterland Frisian jeel (“yellow”), West Frisian giel (“yellow”), Cimbrian gel, ghéel (“yellow”), Dutch geel (“yellow”), Dutch Low Saxon gael, gel (“yellow”), German gelb, gehl (“yellow”), German Low German gel, geel, gęl, gäl (“yellow”), Luxembourgish giel (“yellow”), Vilamovian gaoł (“yellow”), Yiddish געל (gel), געלב (gelb, “yellow”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish gul (“yellow”), Faroese and Icelandic gulur (“yellow”). Compare also Welsh gell (“bay, tawny”), Latin helvus (“dull yellow”), Irish geal (“white, bright”), Lithuanian žalias (“green”), Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “light green”), Persian زرد (zard, “yellow”), Sanskrit हरि (hari, “greenish-yellow”), Russian жёлтый (žóltyj, “yellow”), Russian зелёный (zeljónyj, “green”). Not related to Italian giallo—see galbinus. The verb is from Middle English yelwen, ȝalowen, ȝolewen, from Old English ġeolwian, from the adjective.

Meanings

(countable, uncountable) The color of sunflower petals and lemons; the color obtained by mixing green and red light, or by subtracting blue from white light; the color evoked by light of wavelength around 580 nm; one of the three primary colors in subtractive color systems.
- It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw—not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things. 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper:
- Red No. 3, red No. 40, blue No. 2 and green No. 3 all have been linked with cancer or tumors in animals. Other sources say red No. 40 and yellow No. 5 and No. 6 contain or may be contaminated with known carcinogens. 2025 March 29, Kristen Rogers, “Over half of US states are trying to eliminate food dyes. Here’s what you can do now”, in CNN:
(US, countable, uncountable) The middle light in a set of three traffic lights, the lighting of which indicates that drivers should stop short of the intersection if it is safe to do so.
(countable, uncountable) One of the color balls used in snooker, with a value of 2 points.
(countable, uncountable) One of two groups of object balls, or a ball from that group, as used in the principally British version of pool that makes use of unnumbered balls (the yellow(s) and red(s)); contrast stripes and solids in the originally American version with numbered balls).
(countable, uncountable) A yellow card.
- Andrew Surman fired in what proved to be a 37th-minute winner before Forest's Paul Konchesky saw red late on. That second yellow for the loan signing came in stoppage time and did not affect the outcome of a game which Norwich dominated. 2011 April 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest”, in BBC Sport:
(countable, uncountable) A yellow dye or pigment.
(countable, uncountable) A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of yellow pigment.
(countable, uncountable) Something, or a part of a thing, which is yellow.
(countable, uncountable) Any of various pierid butterflies of the subfamily Coliadinae, especially the yellow colored species. Compare sulphur.
- Several other beautiful butterflies rewarded my search in this place [...] The most abundant butterflies were the whites and yellows (Pieridae), several of which I had already found at Lombock and at Coupang, while others were new to me. 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 297:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
yellows	Number=Plur		lexicographic
yaller		alternative, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yeller		alternative, dialectal, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yeallow		alternative, obsolete	lexicographic

Coordinates

green (light in a set of three traffic lights) · red (light in a set of three traffic lights)

Deriveds

Turner's yellow · nicotine yellow · beyellowed · metanil yellow

Descendants

イエロー

Hypernyms

hue · color · pigment

Hyponyms

fast yellow AB · sulphur yellow · optic yellow · taxi yellow · yellow 2G · school bus yellow · bronze yellow · quinoline yellow · yellow-green · sulfur yellow · lemon yellow · cadmium yellow

Relateds

red · violet · icterus · jaundice · white · orange · cowardly · discolored · blue · green · decoloured

Synonyms

dandelion · amber (intermediate light in a set of three traffic lights) · lemon · khaki · gold · xantho- (light wavelengths) · yellow · blond · cream

Translations (139)

mn шар (color) · zza zerd (diq) (color) · csm ṭaṭaṭ·-i- (color) · af geel (color) · is gulur (color) · ko 노랑 (color) · ast amariellu (color) · fi kelta (color) · sc grogu (color) · cs žlutá (color) · ase Y@Side Twist (color) · sv gul (color) · haw melemele (color) · ms kuning (color) · rap toumāmari (color) · sh жута (color) · gd buidhe (color) · id kuning (color) · el ώχρα (color) · tyv сарыг (color) · win zii (color) · jv jené (color) · nah coztic (color) · nl geel (color) · lou jonn (color) · ko 황색 (color) · eu hori (color) · ti ብጫ (color) · tr sarı (color) · om keelloo (color) · cmn 黃色 /黄色 (color) · ia jalne (color) · ga buí (color) · oc jaune (color) · vi hoàng (color) · wym gał (color) · ltg dzaltons (color) · et kollane (color) · mi kōwhai (color) · ar أَصْفَر (color) · grc ξανθός (color) · mg fondrana (color) · mi mangaeka (color) · osp amariello (color) · ug سېرىق (color) · yue 黃色 /黄色 (color) · ckb زەرد (color) · niu ago (color) · hy դեղին (color) · fr jaune (color) · chr ᏓᎶᏁᎦ (color) · eo flavo (color) · pl żółć (color) · niu lanu ago (color) · bg жълта (color) · he צהוב (color) · wym gaoł (color) · mfe zonn (color) · chn kʼawkʼawiq (color) · su konéng (color) · sl rumena (color) · haw lenalena (color) · fi keltainen (color) · nds-de geel (color) · fa زرد (color) · ur پیلا (color) · lou jònn (color) · egl śal (color) · lt geltonas (color) · uk жовтий (color) · cy melyn (color) · az sarı (color) · wym gāł (color) · jv kuning (color) · rm mellen (color) · sk žltý (color) · ast mariellu (color) · es amarillo (color) · kmr zer (color) · pl żółty (color) · cic lakna (color) · mr पिवळे (color) · hu sárga (color) · pap hel (color) · pt amarelo (color) · km ពណ៌លឿង (color) · sco yellae (color) · gl amarelo (color) · tpw îuba (color) · ka ყვითელი (color) · el κίτρινο (color) · ur زرد (color) · te పసుపు (color) · ps ژېړ (color) · vo yelib (color) · hi पीला (color) · ang ġeolo (color) · sa हरिद्राभ (color) · ru жёлтый (color) · ja 黄色 (color) · ro galben (color) · sa पीतवर्ण (color) · ur اصفر (color) · th สีเหลือง (color) · my အဝါ (color) · ta மஞ்சள் (color) · bg жълт (color) · wa djaene (color) · vo yelov (color) · ro galbenă (color) · an amariello (color) · vi vàng (color) · kw melyn (color) · or ପିଉଳି (color) · sw manjano (color) · hi ज़र्द (color) · de Gelb (color) · no gul (color) · br melen (color) · it giallo (color) · se fiskat (color) · rcf zone (color) · mwl amarielho (color) · ca groc (color) · ryu 黄色 (color) · lb Giel (color) · or ହଳଦିଆ (color) · ml മഞ്ഞ (color) · fy giel (color) · io flava (color) · chn likʰrem (color) · mt isfar (color) · he צהובה (color) · la flāvus (color) · sh žuta (color) · lv dzeltens (color) · da gul (color) · te పసుపురంగు (color) · ota صاری (color)

yellow en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

(UK) audio
/ˈjeləʉ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
/ˈjɛlə/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlo/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlə/ Southern US, folk speech
/ˈjɛlʌo̞/ Dublin
/ˈjɛlo(w)/ (Canada)
/ˈjʌlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
(Australia) audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Ireland)
(US) audio
/ˈjɛl.ɚ/ Southern US, folk speech
audio Tamil Nadu
[-ə(w)] Ottawa Valley
[ˈjɤlʊ] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛːloː/ (India, North)
/ˈjɪlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæl.ə/ see yeller
[ˈjɛlo(w)] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛloʊ/ (General-American)
/ˈjɛlou/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
/ˈjæl.ɚ/ see yeller
/ˈjɑlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæləʉ/ salary–celery merger
audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Southern-England)
/ˈ(j)ɛlːoː/ (India, South)

Etymology

From Middle English yelwe, yelou, from Old English ġeolwe, oblique form of Old English ġeolu, from Proto-West Germanic *gelu, from Proto-Germanic *gelwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃wós, from *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Cognate with Scots yella (“yellow”), North Frisian gööl, güül (“yellow”), Saterland Frisian jeel (“yellow”), West Frisian giel (“yellow”), Cimbrian gel, ghéel (“yellow”), Dutch geel (“yellow”), Dutch Low Saxon gael, gel (“yellow”), German gelb, gehl (“yellow”), German Low German gel, geel, gęl, gäl (“yellow”), Luxembourgish giel (“yellow”), Vilamovian gaoł (“yellow”), Yiddish געל (gel), געלב (gelb, “yellow”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish gul (“yellow”), Faroese and Icelandic gulur (“yellow”). Compare also Welsh gell (“bay, tawny”), Latin helvus (“dull yellow”), Irish geal (“white, bright”), Lithuanian žalias (“green”), Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “light green”), Persian زرد (zard, “yellow”), Sanskrit हरि (hari, “greenish-yellow”), Russian жёлтый (žóltyj, “yellow”), Russian зелёный (zeljónyj, “green”). Not related to Italian giallo—see galbinus. The verb is from Middle English yelwen, ȝalowen, ȝolewen, from Old English ġeolwian, from the adjective.

Meanings

(intransitive) To become yellow or yellower.
- Interviews, clippings, yellowing stories from foreign newspapers, notebooks with old scribblings. Salisbury called it the debris of a reporter always too much on the run to sort out the paper, but there it was, an investigator's dream, […] 2013, Robert Miraldi, Seymour Hersh, Potomac Books, Inc., →ISBN, page 187:
- Then suddenly, with the least warning, the sky yellows and the Chergui blows in from the Sahara, stinging the eyes and choking with its sandy, sticky breath. 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 47:
(transitive) To make (something) yellow or yellower.
(historical, qualifier:Royal Navy, transitive) To promote (a captain) to flag rank without command of a squadron, ending his career; to make him a yellow admiral.
- Then they might yellow him if they wanted to; he would be satisfied with Admiral’s rank. 1938, C. S. Forester, chapter 2, in A Ship of the Line, London: Michael Joseph:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
yeller		alternative, dialectal, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yeallow		alternative, obsolete	lexicographic
yellowing	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
yaller		alternative, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yellows	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres		lexicographic
yellowed	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
yellowed	Tense=Past		lexicographic

Translations (60)

fi kellastua (to become yellow or more yellow) · fr jaunir (to become yellow or more yellow) · it ingiallire (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · cic lakna (to become yellow or more yellow) · ru пожелте́ть (to become yellow or more yellow) · it ingiallirsi (to become yellow or more yellow) · aii ܡܲܫܥܸܬ (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · mg vony (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · rup ngãlbinescu (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · de gilben (to become yellow or more yellow) · da gulne (to become yellow or more yellow) · he הִצְהִיב (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · de vergilben (to become yellow or more yellow) · sh жу́тити (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · ka ყვითლდება (to become yellow or more yellow) · tr sararmak (to become yellow or more yellow) · ru желте́ть (to become yellow or more yellow) · ro se îngălbeni (to become yellow or more yellow) · sv gulfärga (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · pl żółcić (to become yellow or more yellow) · sh žútiti (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · sh жу́тјети (to become yellow or more yellow) · zza zerd biyayen (to become yellow or more yellow) · bg пожълтя́вам (to become yellow or more yellow) · uk жовти́ти (to become yellow or more yellow) · nl vergelen (to become yellow or more yellow) · pt amarelar (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · fi kellastuttaa (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · ota صاریلانمق (to become yellow or more yellow) · pl żółcić (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · hu sárgít (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · sv gulmåla (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · sh žútjeti (to become yellow or more yellow) · la flāvescō (to become yellow or more yellow) · br melenaat (to become yellow or more yellow) · cs žloutnout (to become yellow or more yellow) · is gulna (to become yellow or more yellow) · fi kellertyä (to become yellow or more yellow) · sv gulna (to become yellow or more yellow) · he הצהיב (to become yellow or more yellow) · zza zerdiyayen (to become yellow or more yellow) · pl żółknąć (to become yellow or more yellow) · zza zerdnayen (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · ang ġeolwian (to become yellow or more yellow) · sh žúteti (to become yellow or more yellow) · eo flaviĝi (to become yellow or more yellow) · ro îngălbeni (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · br melenaat (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · hu sárgul (to become yellow or more yellow) · ar صَفَّرَ (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · ka აყვითლებს (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · izh kellastua (to become yellow or more yellow) · fr jaunir (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · id menguning (to become yellow or more yellow) · fi kellertää (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · nl vergelen (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · pt amarelar (to become yellow or more yellow) · ar اِصْفَرَّ (to become yellow or more yellow) · tr sarartmak (to cause to become yellow or more yellow) · sh жу́тети (to become yellow or more yellow)

yellow en · INTJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

(UK) audio
/ˈjeləʉ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
/ˈjɛlə/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlo/ (Northumbria, Scotland)
/ˈjɛlə/ Southern US, folk speech
/ˈjɛlʌo̞/ Dublin
/ˈjɛlo(w)/ (Canada)
/ˈjʌlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
(Australia) audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Ireland)
(US) audio
/ˈjɛl.ɚ/ Southern US, folk speech
audio Tamil Nadu
[-ə(w)] Ottawa Valley
[ˈjɤlʊ] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛːloː/ (India, North)
/ˈjɪlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæl.ə/ see yeller
[ˈjɛlo(w)] Ottawa Valley
/ˈjɛloʊ/ (General-American)
/ˈjɛlou/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
/ˈjæl.ɚ/ see yeller
/ˈjɑlə/ dated, uncommon, folk speech
/ˈjæləʉ/ salary–celery merger
audio
/ˈjɛləʊ/ (Southern-England)
/ˈ(j)ɛlːoː/ (India, South)

Etymology

From the colors used on traffic lights; yellow being the one for warning vehicles to stop soon.

Meanings

(qualifier:procedure word) Used to indicate that the speaker needs a temporary break from current sexual activity.

Forms

Spelling	Labels	Source
yeallow	alternative, obsolete	lexicographic
yeller	alternative, dialectal, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic
yaller	alternative, pronunciation-spelling	lexicographic

Coordinates

green · red

Relateds

All pages starting with

yellow en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Antonyms

Deriveds

Synonyms

Translations (362)

yellow en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Coordinates

Deriveds

Descendants

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Relateds

Synonyms

Translations (139)

yellow en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Translations (60)

yellow en · INTJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Coordinates

Relateds