bone

en-noun

bone (countable and uncountable, plural bones)

From Middle English bon, from Old English bān (“bone, tusk; the bone of a limb”), from Proto-Germanic *bainą (“bone”), from *bainaz (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂- (“to hit, strike, beat”).
Cognate with Scots bane, been, bean, bein, bain (“bone”), North Frisian bien (“bone”), West Frisian bien (“bone”), Dutch been (“bone; leg”), German Low German Been, Bein (“bone”), German Bein (“leg”), German Gebein (“bones”), Swedish ben (“bone; leg”), Norwegian and Icelandic bein (“bone”), Breton benañ (“to cut, hew”), Latin perfinēs (“break through, break into pieces, shatter”), Avestan 𐬠𐬫𐬈𐬥𐬙𐬈 (byente, “they fight, hit”). Related also to Old Norse beinn (“straight, right, favourable, advantageous, convenient, friendly, fair, keen”) (whence Middle English bain, bayne, bayn, beyn (“direct, prompt”), Scots bein, bien (“in good condition, pleasant, well-to-do, cosy, well-stocked, pleasant, keen”)), Icelandic beinn (“straight, direct, hospitable”), Norwegian bein (“straight, direct, easy to deal with”). See bain, bein.

cog

sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me

what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh

bone:

An off-white colour, like the colour of bone.


bone

Of an off-white colour, like the colour of bone.


beige

en-adj

beige (comparative beiger or more beige, superlative beigest or most beige)

beiger (comparative)
more beige (comparative)
beigest (superlative)
most beige (superlative)

Unadapted borrowing from French (dialectal) beige, from Old French bege (“color of undyed wool or cotton”), from an Alpine language (compare Franco-Provençal bézho, Romansch besch (“dull grey”)), from Vulgar Latin *bysseus (“cottony grey”) (compare French bis, Catalan bis, Italian bigio), from Late Latin byssus (“cotton”), from Ancient Greek βύσσος (bússos, “cotton homespun”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew/Aramaic בוץ (būṣ)). Doublet of bice.

der

Dagobert had only one customer, an American who wore square, rimless glasses and a beige suit and looked like a Wall Street tycoon.

1956, Delano Ames, chapter 24, in Crime out of Mind:

Mr. Lauwaert of Sony said he realized that most consumers were not going to buy computers that cost far more than discount beige boxes.

2006 November 23, Michel Marriott, “When Beige Won’t Do”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Having a slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of unbleached wool.


white

en-adj

white (comparative whiter or more white, superlative whitest or most white)

whiter (comparative)
more white (comparative)
whitest (superlative)
most white (superlative)

Bislama: waet

Sranan Tongo: weti

Aukan: weti

Saramaccan: wéti

Tok Pisin: wait

→ Japanese: ホワイト (howaito)

white fella

⇒ Nyunga: wadjela

white gin

⇒ Gamilaraay: waatyin

⇒ Ngiyambaa: wadjiin

⇒ Wiradjuri: waajin

Inherited from Middle English whit, hwit, from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweydós, a byform of *ḱweytós (“bright; shine”).
Cognates
* West Frisian wyt
*Dutch wit
* German weiß
* German weiss
* Norwegian Bokmål hvit
* Norwegian Nynorsk kvit
* Lithuanian šviẽsti (“to gleam”), šviesa (“light”)
* Old Church Slavonic свѣтъ (světŭ, “light”), свѣтьлъ (světĭlŭ, “clear, bright”)
* Persian سفید (sefid, “white”), Persian سپید (sepid, “white”)
* Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (spaēta, “white”)
* Sanskrit श्वेत (śvetá, “white, bright”).

cog

(sometimes capitalized) By U.S. Census Bureau definition, of or relating to people hailing from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

(of a person or skin) Lacking coloration (tan) from ultraviolet light; not tanned.


white

en-noun

white (countable and uncountable, plural whites)

bělásek

common name for butterflies in the subfamily Pierinae

A bottle of red, a bottle of white / It all depends upon your appetite / I'll meet you any time you want / In our Italian Restaurant.

1977, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, in Billy Joel (music), The Stranger:

Those were my first impressions of wine: Ladies drink chilled, soft white while they gossip in the kitchen; old men drink strong, room-temperature red to get shellacked.

2014, Maximillian Potter, Shadows in the Vineyard:

valkoinen

short form of white wine — see also white wine

(countable and uncountable) White coffee


cream

en-verb

cream (third-person singular simple present creams, present participle creaming, simple past and past participle creamed)

creams (present singular third-person)
creaming (participle present)
creamed (participle past)
creamed (past)

From Middle English creime, creme, from Old French creme, cresme, blend of Late Latin chrisma (“ointment”) (from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “unguent”)), and Late Latin crāmum (“cream”), from Gaulish *crama (compare Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”), Breton crammen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama- (compare Middle Irish screm (“surface, skin”), Dutch schram (“abrasion”), Lithuanian kramas (“scurf”)). Doublet of crema and crème. Displaced native Old English rēam (“cream”) (> modern ream).
Figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" appears from 1581. Verb meaning "to beat, thrash, wreck" is 1929, U.S. colloquial. The U.S. standard of identity is from 21 CFR 131.3(a).

der

(transitive, cooking) To rub, stir, or beat (butter) into a light creamy consistency.


ivory

en-noun

ivory (countable and uncountable, plural ivories)

→ Pohnpeian: aipori

From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant, ivory, Elephantine”). Displaced native Old English elpendbān (literally “elephant bone”).

ncog

ivory:

A creamy white color, the color of ivory.


snow

en-noun

snow (countable and uncountable, plural snows)

The noun is derived from Middle English snaw, snou, snow (“snow; accumulation of snow; snowfall; snowstorm; whiteness”), from Old English snāw (“snow”), from Proto-West Germanic *snaiw (“snow”), from Proto-Germanic *snaiwaz (“snow”), from Proto-Indo-European *snóygʷʰos (“snow”), from *sneygʷʰ- (“to snow”).
The verb is derived from Middle English snouen (“to snow; (figurative) to shower”), from snou, snow (noun) (see above) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Displaced Old English snīwan, whence English snew (obsolete).
Verb sense 2.3.2 (“to convince or hoodwink (someone)”) probably refers to a person being blinded or confused by a snowstorm.
Cognates
* Albanian nehë (“place where the snow melts”) (dialectal)
* Ancient Greek νίφα (nípha)
* Danish sne (“snow”)
* Dutch sneeuw (“snow”)
* German Schnee (“snow”)
* Icelandic snjór (“snow”)
* Latin nix (“snow”)
* Norwegian snø (“snow”)
* Russian снег (sneg)
* Sanskrit स्नेह (snéha, “oil, grease”)
* Scots snaw (“snow”)
* Swedish snö (“snow”)
* West Frisian snie (“snow”)

сы

partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; falling of such flakes; accumulation of them as a white layer

there may be snow on the mountaintop but there's fire in the valley

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace

Something resembling snow (sense 1) in appearance or color.

(figurative, slang, dated) White linen which has been washed.


natural

en-adj

natural (comparative more natural, superlative most natural)

more natural (comparative)
most natural (superlative)

/ˈnæt͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/

From Middle English natural, borrowed from Old French natural, naturel, from Latin nātūrālis, from nātus, the perfect participle of nāscor (“be born”, verb). Displaced native Old English ġecynde. By surface analysis, nature + -al.

luonnollinen

that exists and evolved within the confines of an ecosystem

luonnollinen

having the character or sentiments properly belonging to one's position

Mr. Campion appeared suitably impressed and she warmed to him. He was very easy to talk to with those long clown lines in his pale face, a natural goon, born rather too early she suspected.

1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

Having an innate ability to fill a given role or profession, or display a specified character.

(bodybuilding) Not having used anabolic steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

luonnollinen

bodybuilding: not having used performance-enhancers


natural

en-noun

natural (countable and uncountable, plural naturals)

/ˈnæt͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/

He's a natural on the saxophone.

One with an innate talent at or for something.

natural:

(uncountable) An almost white colour, with tints of grey, yellow or brown; originally that of natural fabric.

Chinosole, who stopped straightening her hair and cut it into a natural while at a predominantly white college, was quite uneasy with the style

2002, Maxine Leeds Craig, Ain't I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

I wanted to do it for so long — throw out my chemically relaxed hair for a natural.

2012, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the African American Soul: Celebrating and Sharing Our Culture One Story at a Time, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

Third, it insinuates that black afro hairstyles (e.g., naturals) relate to African cultural heritage, which is largely untrue.

2015, Carmen M. Cusack, HAIR AND JUSTICE: Sociolegal Significance of Hair in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, and Public Policy, Charles C Thomas Publisher, →ISBN, page 155:

(US, colloquial) A hairstyle for people with Afro-textured hair in which the hair is not straightened or otherwise treated.


almond

almond (countable and uncountable, plural almonds)

From Middle English almond, almaund, from Old French almande, amande, from Vulgar Latin *amendla, *amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē), of uncertain origin. Influenced by amandus and by many European words of Arabic origin beginning with the Arabic definite article Arabic ال (al-). Compare Spanish almóndiga and Portuguese almôndega (“meatball”) from Andalusian Arabic البُنْدُقَة (“hazelnut”). Doublet of amygdala, amygdale, and mandorla.

doublet

Other plants that produce almond-like nuts:

bitter almond. of variety Prunus amygdalus var. amara, (syn. Prunus dulcis var. amara), that only produces bitter fruits

Prunus japonica, flowering almond, an ornamental shrub in family Rosaceae

Prunus andersonii, desert almond, a North American shrub in family Rosaceae

Prunus fasciculata, desert range almond or wild almond, North American shrub in family Rosaceae

Terminalia catappa, Indian almond or tropical almond, in family Combretaceae

Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa#Translingual

Brabejum stellatifolium or bitter almond, in family Proteaceae

almond:

(uncountable) The colour of the kernel of an almond without its shell and thin seed coat, a creamy off-white colour.


antique white

en-noun

antique white (countable and uncountable, plural antique whites)

antique white:


argent

argent (countable and uncountable, plural argents)

From Middle English argent, from Old French argent m (“silver”), from Latin argentum n (“white money, silver”).

der

argent:

The metals are gold and silver, these being termed "or" and "argent".

1909, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry:

(heraldry) The white or silver tincture on a coat of arms.

The polish'd argent of her breast.

1842, Alfred Tennyson, “A Dream of Fair Women”, in Poems. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

(archaic or poetic) Whiteness; anything that is white.


argent

... when the shield is argent, it is shown in an engraving by being left plain.

1889, Charles Norton Elvin, A Dictionary of Heraldry:

(heraldry): of white or silver tincture on a coat of arms.


parchment

en-noun

parchment (countable and uncountable, plural parchments)

/ˈpʰɑɹt͡ʃmənt/

From Middle English parchemyn, parchement, from Old French parchemin, via Latin pergamīna, from Ancient Greek Περγαμηνός (Pergamēnós, “of Pergamon”), which is named for the ancient city of Pergamon (modern Bergama) in Asia Minor, where it was invented as an expensive alternative for papyrus. Cognate with Danish pergament, Dutch perkament, French parchemin, German Pergament, Greek περγαμηνή (pergaminí), Italian pergamena, Norwegian pergament, Portuguese pergaminho, Galician pergameo, Romanian pergament, Russian пергамент (pergament), Spanish pergamino, and Swedish pergament.

der

The creamy to tanned color of parchment.


eggshell

From Middle English eggeshell, ege schelle, egg-shel, egg shelle (also as Middle English eye schell, ey-schel, ey-schelle), partially continuing Old English ǣġsċill, ǣġsċyll (“eggshell”), equivalent to egg + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oaierskil (“eggshell”), Dutch eierschaal (“eggshell”), German Eierschale (“eggshell”), Danish æggeskal (“eggshell”), Swedish äggskal (“eggshell”).

cog

eggshell:

A pale off-white colour, like that of the eggshell.


Alice blue

From the name of Alice Roosevelt Longworth (daughter of Theodore Roosevelt), who favoured the colour and made it fashionable in the US.


floral white

en-noun

floral white (countable and uncountable, plural floral whites)

floral white:


Navajo white

Navajo white (countable and uncountable, plural Navajo whites)

Navajo white:

Navajo white (color corresponding to RGB code FFDEAD)


off-white

off-white (countable and uncountable, plural off-whites)

off-white:

A very pale colour that is almost white.


off-white

Of a very pale colour that is almost white.

възбя́л

of a very pale colour that is almost white


old lace

old lace:

A off-white colour, like that of old lace.


old lace

Of an off-white colour, like that of old lace.


pearly

pearly (countable and uncountable, plural pearlies)

pearly:

In nature we as often find the light cool as warm; also in the pictures of many of the Flemish and Dutch schools, where, as Sir Joshua himself mentions, " the silver gray or pearly is predominant, and are valued by the connoisseurs in proportion as they possess this excellence of a silver tint."

1830, John Burnet, A practical treatise on painting, page 3:

Pearly is that silky and often coloured lustre which renders of such value

When (the scales are) more developed and thickened, the color (pearly) is deepened, shading

1899, St. Louis medical and surgical journal, page 126:

(uncountable, uncommon, dated) A pale greyish white colour, tinted with blue.

(countable, British, slang, especially in plural) A tooth.


pearly

en-adj

pearly (comparative pearlier, superlative pearliest)

pearlier (comparative)
pearliest (superlative)

Of a pale greyish white colour, tinted with blue.


seashell

The seashells on the beach are toxic and best avoided.

seashell:

A very light pink colour, like that of some seashells.


seashell

Of a very light pink colour, like that of some seashells.


magnolia

en-noun

magnolia (countable and uncountable, plural magnolias)

Borrowed from translingual Magnolia, from French Magnol + -ia. Named after French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638–1715). The surname is a form of the male given name Magne, from Latin magnus.

There are clusters of magnolias that are so tall and green and glossy, they are impossible to climb, and the air around them always smells like peaches.

2011, Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones, Bloomsbury (2017), page 158:

(countable) A tree or shrub in any species of the genus Magnolia, many with large flowers and simple leaves.

magnolia:

(countable, uncountable) A creamy white colour, like that of some magnolia flowers.


magnolia

Of a creamy white colour, like that of some magnolia flowers.


alabaster

alabaster (usually uncountable, plural alabasters)

From Middle English alabastre, from Old French alabastre, from Latin alabaster (“box for perfumes or unguents”), from Ancient Greek ἀλάβαστρος (alábastros), from earlier ἀλάβαστος (alábastos, “vase without handles for storing perfumes”). This may further derive from Egyptian ꜥj-r-bꜣstjt (“vessel of the Egyptian goddess Bast”). The Latin suffix -aster is unrelated, but may have influenced the spelling of the borrowing from Ancient Greek (whence a direct loan could have been rendered as *alabastrus).

der

alabaster:

An off-white colour, like that of alabaster.


whitish

en-adj

whitish (comparative more whitish, superlative most whitish)

more whitish (comparative)
most whitish (superlative)

From Middle English whitisch, whytyssh, equivalent to white + -ish.

The skin was somewhat pigmented, especially in certain regions, while over the whole there appeared whitish, rounded or oval mottlings or dapplings, most obvious where the surrounding cuticle was most deeply colored.

1910, The Year Book of Dermatology, page 124:


snow-white

From Middle English snow whit, snowe-white, snouwite, snawhwit, from Old English snāwhwīt, from Proto-West Germanic *snaiwhwīt, from Proto-Germanic *snaiwahwītaz; equivalent to snow + white. Cognate with Dutch sneeuwwit (“snow-white”), German schneeweiß (“snow-white”), Swedish snövit (“snow-white”).

(ethnic slur, offensive, slang) A Caucasian person, especially a woman.


cosmic latte

cosmic latte:

We just can't leave God out of our lives even if there isn't the slightest possibility that an anthropomorphic God exists that can stand outside the universe and look on the cosmic latte color and see us.

2003, Frederick Kramer, Thickets of Qualia, page 208:

Between the walls, which have been redone a univeige, a cosmic latte shade—the floors have similarly been buffed of my traces.

2016, Joshua Cohen, Book of Numbers, page 8:

A creamy white color calculated to be the average color of the universe.


Spanish white

en-noun

Spanish white (countable and uncountable, plural Spanish whites)


albous

Whites:- albous or albus is a pure white […]

1841, Edward Newman, John Van Voorst, A Familiar Introduction to the History of Insects; Being a New and Greatly Improved Edition of The Grammar of Entomology:

Frons: piceous, scarcely convex; rugose-punctate; sparse, lanceolate, small, griseo-albous squamae.

1940, Stanford University, Natural History Museum, Microentomology: Contributions to Entomology from the Natural History Museum of Stanford University, Volumes 5-8:

These included dark coloured flower, light coloured flower, albous flower, pink flower, red flower, small flower, biflorate and triflorate mutants.

1998, Society of Cytologists and Geneticists, India, The Journal of Cytology and Genetics, Volume 33:


bainin

bainin (countable and uncountable, plural bainins)

Borrowed from Irish báinín, from bán (“white”) + -ín (diminutive suffix).

By the time it had some of the dirt and grease removed (part scouring) it had become the creamy natural colour (bainin) with which we are all familiar, and although the patterns are worked in other fashion colours and yarns, the true Aran is only made from the thickish bainin woolen yarn.

2012, Shelagh Hollingworth, Traditional Aran Knitting, page 14:

(Ireland) the creamy white colour of such yarn or cloth


French white

An especially pure form of white lead, particularly as used in paints.


chalk-white

en-adj

chalk-white (comparative more chalk-white, superlative most chalk-white)

more chalk-white (comparative)
most chalk-white (superlative)

I burn, burn like a wicker cabinet / chalk-white and oh so frail / I see our time has gotten stale

1998, Eve 6 (lyrics and music), “Inside Out”, in Eve 6:

Six utterly chalk-white people were cramped together beneath the parasol, sharing the little circle of shadow it was casting down onto the moderately sundrenched beach.


flake white

From the way flakes of the pigment were created and fell off the base lead during the former Dutch or stack process.

Synonym of white lead, particularly as used in paints.


China white

Synonym of French white (“an especially pure white lead paint”)


silver white

white lead

Synonym of white lead, particularly (historical) in the form used in 19th-century Parisian paints.


lead white

Synonym of white lead, particularly as used in paints and the hue of such paints.


Kremnitz white

From confusion of Kremnitz in Austria-Hungary (now Kremnica, Slovakia) with Krems, Austria, the actual location of the galena mines that previously produced exceptionally pure white lead.

Synonym of French white (“an especially pure form of lead oxide, particularly as used for paints.”)


Berlin white

From its supposed origin in Berlin, Germany.

Synonym of French white (“an especially pure form of white lead, particularly as used in paints”)


Nottingham white

From its supposed origin in Nottingham, England.


Vienna white

From its supposed origin in Vienna, Austria.


Crems white

(dated) Alternative form of Krems white.


Krems white

A calque of German Kremsweiss, from its original production from exceptionally pure white lead produced by galena mines near Krems, Austria.

Synonym of French white (“an especially pure form of white lead, particularly as used in painting”)


Venetian white

(chiefly historical) Synonym of Venetian ceruse.