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Whitest

 - 3 dictionary results

white

  [hwahyt, wahyt] adjective, whit⋅er, whit⋅est, noun, verb, whit⋅ed, whit⋅ing.
Use Whitest in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of the color of pure snow, of the margins of this page, etc.; reflecting nearly all the rays of sunlight or a similar light.
2. light or comparatively light in color.
3. (of human beings) marked by slight pigmentation of the skin, as of many Caucasoids.
4. for, limited to, or predominantly made up of persons whose racial heritage is Caucasian: a white club; a white neighborhood.
5. pallid or pale, as from fear or other strong emotion: white with rage.
6. silvery, gray, or hoary: white hair.
7. snowy: a white Christmas.
8. lacking color; transparent.
9. (politically) ultraconservative.
10. blank, as an unoccupied space in printed matter: Fill in the white space below.
11. Armor. composed entirely of polished steel plates without fabric or other covering; alwite.
12. wearing white clothing: a white monk.
13. Slang. decent, honorable, or dependable: That's very white of you.
14. auspicious or fortunate.
15. morally pure; innocent.
16. without malice; harmless: white magic.
17. (of wines) light-colored or yellowish, as opposed to red.
18. British. (of coffee) containing milk.
–noun
19. a color without hue at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to black. A white surface reflects light of all hues completely and diffusely. Most so-called whites are very light grays: fresh snow, for example, reflects about 80 percent of the incident light, but to be strictly white, snow would have to reflect 100 percent of the incident light. It is the ultimate limit of a series of shades of any color.
20. a hue completely desaturated by admixture with white, the highest value possible.
21. quality or state of being white.
22. lightness of skin pigment.
23. a person whose racial heritage is Caucasian.
24. a white material or substance.
25. the white part of something.
26. Biology. a pellucid viscous fluid that surrounds the yolk of an egg; albumen.
27. the white part of the eyeball: He has a speck in the white of his eye.
28. whites,
a. white or nearly white clothing.
b. top-grade white flour.
29. white wine: Graves is a good white.
30. a type or breed that is white in color.
31. Usually, whites. a blank space in printing.
32. (initial capital letter) a hog of any of several breeds having a white coat, as a Chester White.
33. Entomology. any of several white-winged butterflies of the family Pieridae, as the common cabbage butterflies.
34. white fabric.
35. Archery.
a. the outermost ring of the butt.
b. an arrow that hits this portion of the butt.
c. the central part of the butt or target, formerly painted white but now painted gold or yellow.
d. Archaic. a target painted white.
36. Chess, Checkers. the men or pieces that are light-colored.
37. (often initial capital letter) a member of a royalist, conservative, or reactionary political party.
–verb (used with object)
38. Printing.
a. to make white by leaving blank spaces (often fol. by out).
b. to whiten (areas of artwork) in retouching preparatory to photoengraving (often fol. by out).
39. Archaic. to make white; whiten.
—Verb phrase
40. white out,
a. to cover (errors in copy) with a white correction fluid.
b. to censor, as by obliterating words or passages with white ink.
—Idioms
41. bleed white, Informal. to be or cause to be deprived of all one's resources: Dishonesty is bleeding the union white.
42. in the white, in an unfinished state or condition, as furniture wood that has not been stained or varnished.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME whit(e), OE hwīt; c. G weiss, ON hvītr, Goth hweits; akin to wheat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Whitest
white   (hwīt, wīt)   
n.  

  1. The achromatic color of maximum lightness; the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; the complement or antagonist of black, the other extreme of the neutral gray series. Although typically a response to maximum stimulation of the retina, the perception of white appears always to depend on contrast.

  2. The white or nearly white part, as:

    1. The albumen of an egg.

    2. The white part of an eyeball.

    3. A blank unprinted area, as of an advertisement.

    4. whites White trousers or a white outfit of a special nature: tennis whites.

    5. whites The white dress uniform of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard.

    6. A white wine.

    7. A white pigment.

    8. A white breed, species, or variety of animal.

    9. also White A member of a racial group of people having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin. See Usage Note at black.

    10. Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar. Often used in the plural.

    11. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.

    12. The player using these pieces.

    13. The outermost ring of an archery target.

    14. A hit in this ring.

  3. One that is white or nearly white, as:

    1. whites White trousers or a white outfit of a special nature: tennis whites.

    2. whites The white dress uniform of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard.

    3. A white wine.

    4. A white pigment.

    5. A white breed, species, or variety of animal.

    6. also White A member of a racial group of people having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin. See Usage Note at black.

    7. Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar. Often used in the plural.

    8. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.

    9. The player using these pieces.

    10. The outermost ring of an archery target.

    11. A hit in this ring.

  4. Games

    1. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.

    2. The player using these pieces.

    3. The outermost ring of an archery target.

    4. A hit in this ring.

    1. The outermost ring of an archery target.

    2. A hit in this ring.

  6. whites Pathology Leukorrhea.

  7. A politically ultraconservative or reactionary person.

adj.   whit·er, whit·est

  1. Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.

  2. Approaching the color white, as:

    1. Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale: white wine.

    2. Pale gray; silvery and lustrous: white hair.

    3. Bloodless; blanched.

    4. Incandescent: white flames.

    5. Intensely heated; impassioned: white with fury.

  3. Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.

  4. also White Of or belonging to a racial group having light skin coloration, especially one of European origin: voting patterns within the white population.

  5. Not written or printed on; blank.

  6. Unsullied; pure.

  7. Habited in white: white nuns.

  8. Accompanied by or mantled with snow: a white Christmas.

    1. Incandescent: white flames.

    2. Intensely heated; impassioned: white with fury.

  10. Ultraconservative or reactionary.

  11. With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.

tr.v.   whit·ed, whit·ing, whites

  1. Printing To create or leave blank spaces in (printed or illustrated matter). Often used with out.

  2. Archaic

    1. To whiten; whitewash.

    2. To blanch.


[Middle English, from Old English hwīt; see kweit- in Indo-European roots.]
white'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

white 
O.E. hwit, from P.Gmc. *khwitaz (cf. O.S., O.Fris. hwit, O.N. hvitr, Du. wit, O.H.G. hwiz, Ger. weiß, Goth. hveits), from PIE *kwintos/*kwindos "bright" (cf. Skt. svetah "white;" O.C.S. sviteti "to shine," svetu "light;" Lith. sviesti "to shine," svaityti "to brighten"). As a surname, originally with reference to fair hair or complexion, it is one of the oldest in Eng., being well-established before the Conquest. Meaning "morally pure" was in O.E. Association with royalist causes is late 18c. Slang sense of "honorable, fair" is 1877, Amer.Eng. The racial sense (adj.) of "of those races (chiefly European or of European extraction) characterized by light complexion" is first recorded 1604. The noun in this sense ("white man, person of a race distinguished by light complexion") is from 1671; whitey in this sense is recorded from 1828. White supremacy attested from 1902; white flight is from 1967; white trash is black slang first attested 1855. White heat "state of intense or extreme emotion" first recorded 1839. White lie is attested from 1741. White Christmas is attested from 1857. White-collar is from 1919, first attested in Upton Sinclair. White House at the U.S. presidential residence is recorded from 1811. White water "river rapids" is recorded from 1586. White Russian "language of Byelorussia" is recorded from 1850; the mixed drink is from c.1978.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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