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Webster 1913 Edition

Gray

Gray

(grā)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Grayer
;
sup
erl.
Grayest
.]
[OE.
gray
, grey, AS.
grǣg
,
grēg
; akin to D.
graauw
, OHG.
grāo
, G.
grau
, Dan.
graa
, Sw.
grå
, Icel.
grār
.]
[Written also
grey
.]
1.
any color of neutral hue between white and black; white mixed with black, as the color of pepper and salt, or of ashes, or of hair whitened by age; sometimes, a dark mixed color;
as, the soft
gray
eye of a dove
.
These
gray
and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.
Sir I. Newton.
2.
Gray-haired; gray-headed; of a gray color; hoary.
3.
Old; mature;
as,
gray
experience
.
Ames.
Gray antimony
(Min.)
,
stibnite.
–
Gray buck
(Zool.)
,
the chickara.
–
Gray cobalt
(Min.)
,
smaltite.
–
Gray copper
(Min.)
,
tetrahedrite.
–
Gray duck
(Zool.)
,
the gadwall; also applied to the female mallard.
–
Gray falcon
(Zool.)
the peregrine falcon.
–
Gray Friar
.
See
Franciscan
, and
Friar
.
–
Gray hen
(Zool.)
,
the female of the blackcock or black grouse. See
Heath grouse
.
–
Gray mill
or
Gray millet
(Bot.)
,
a name of several plants of the genus
Lithospermum
; gromwell.
–
Gray mullet
(Zool.)
any one of the numerous species of the genus
Mugil
, or family
Mugilidæ
, found both in the Old World and America; as the European species (
Mugilidæ capito
, and
Mugilidæ auratus
), the American striped mullet (
Mugilidæ albula
), and the white or silver mullet (
Mugilidæ Braziliensis
). See
Mullet
.
–
Gray owl
(Zool.)
,
the European tawny or brown owl (
Syrnium aluco
). The great gray owl (
Ulula cinerea
) inhabits arctic America.
–
Gray parrot
(Zool.)
,
an African parrot (
Psittacus erithacus
), very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in learning to talk. Also called
jako
.
–
Gray pike
.
(Zool.)
See
Sauger
.
–
Gray snapper
(Zool.)
,
a Florida fish; the sea lawyer. See
Snapper
.
–
Gray snipe
(Zool.)
,
the dowitcher in winter plumage.
–
Gray whale
(Zool.)
,
a rather large and swift whale of the northern Pacific (
Eschrichtius robustus
, formerly
Rhachianectes glaucus
), having short jaws and no dorsal fin. It grows to a length of 50 feet (someimes 60 feet). It was formerly taken in large numbers in the bays of California, and is now rare; – called also
grayback
,
devilfish
, and
hardhead
. It lives up to 50 or 60 years and adults weigh from 20 to 40 tons.

Gray

(grā)
,
Noun.
1.
A gray color; any mixture of white and black; also, a neutral or whitish tint.
2.
An animal or thing of gray color, as a horse, a badger, or a kind of salmon.
Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day.
That coats thy life, my gallant
gray
.
Sir W. Scott.

Webster 1828 Edition

Gray

GRAY

,
Adj.
[This is probably the name given to the Greeks, on account of their fair complexion compared with the Asiatics and Africans. [See Europe.] 'Keto bore to Phorcus the Graiae with fair cheeks, white from their birth, and hence they were called Graiae.' The Greek word is rendered an old woman, and in this passage of Hesiod, is supposed to mean certain deities. The probability is, that it is applied to an old woman, because she is gray. But the fable of Hesiod is easily explained by supposing the author to have had in his mind some imperfect account of the origin of the Greeks.]
1.
White, with a mixture of black.
These gray and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.
2.
White; hoary; as gray hair. We apply the word to hair that is partially or wholly white.
3.
Dark; of a mixed color; of the color of ashes; as gray eyes; the gray-eyed morn.
4.
Old; mature; as gray experience.

GRAY

,
Noun.
A gray color.
1.
A badger.

Definition 2024

Gray

Gray

See also: gray

English

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Gray

  1. A surname​; originally a nickname for someone with a gray beard or hair.
  2. A male given name.

Anagrams

gray

gray

See also: Gray

English

Various shades of gray.

Alternative forms

  • grey (used in the UK and the Commonwealth and also in the US)

Pronunciation

  • enPR: grā, IPA(key): /ɡɹeɪ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪ
  • Homophones: grey, greige

Adjective

gray ‎(comparative grayer, superlative grayest) (spelled "grey" in the UK and the Commonwealth)

  1. (US) Having a color somewhere between white and black, as the ash of an ember.
    • Isaac Newton
      These grey and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.‎
  2. (US) Dreary, gloomy.
  3. (US) Having an indistinct, disputed or uncertain quality.
  4. (US) Relating to older people.
    the gray dollar, i.e. the purchasing power of the elderly‎
    • Ames
      grey experience‎
Usage notes

A mnemonic for remembering which spelling is used where: grey is the English spelling, while gray is the American spelling. However, grey is also found in American English.

Derived terms
Translations

Verb

gray ‎(third-person singular simple present grays, present participle graying, simple past and past participle grayed) (spelled "grey" in the UK and the Commonwealth)

  1. (US) To become gray.
    My hair is beginning to gray.‎
  2. (US) To cause to become gray.
  3. (US, demography, slang) To turn progressively older, in the context of the population of a geographic region.
    the graying of America‎
Translations

Noun

gray ‎(plural grays) (spelled "grey" in the UK and the Commonwealth)

  1. (US) An achromatic colour intermediate between black and white.
    grey colour:    
  2. (chiefly US, ufology) an extraterrestrial humanoid with grayish skin, bulbous black eyes, and an enlarged head.
  3. (US, two-up) A penny with a tail on both sides, used for cheating.[1]
Translations

See also

Colors in English · colors, colours (layout · text)
     red      green      yellow      cream      white
     crimson      magenta      teal      lime      pink
     indigo      blue      orange      gray, grey      violet
     black      purple      brown      azure, sky blue      cyan

References

  1. ↑ Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966, chapter XI section 3, page 243

Etymology 2

Named after Louis Harold Gray.

Noun

gray ‎(plural grays)

  1. In the International System of Units, the derived unit of absorbed dose of radiation (radiation absorbed by a patient); one joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of the patient's mass. Symbol: Gy
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Anagrams

Finnish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡrei̯/

Noun

gray

  1. gray (SI unit)

Declension

Inflection of gray (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative gray grayt
genitive grayn grayiden
grayitten
partitive graytä grayitä
illative grayhin
grayhyn 		grayihin
singular plural
nominative gray grayt
accusative nom. gray grayt
gen. grayn
genitive grayn grayiden
grayitten
partitive graytä grayitä
inessive grayssä grayissä
elative graystä grayistä
illative grayhin
grayhyn 		grayihin
adessive grayllä grayillä
ablative grayltä grayiltä
allative graylle grayille
essive graynä grayinä
translative grayksi grayiksi
instructive — grayin
abessive grayttä grayittä
comitative — grayineen

French

Pronunciation

Noun

gray m ‎(plural grays)

  1. gray (SI unit)

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Noun

gray m (plural grays)

  1. (physics) gray (SI unit of absorbed radiation)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Noun

gray m (plural grays)

  1. (ufology) gray (one of a race of evil, short extraterrestrial beings)

Swedish

Noun

gray c

  1. gray (SI unit)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɹeɪ/

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