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canary

 - 4 dictionary results

ca⋅nar⋅y

[kuh-nair-ee] noun, plural -nar⋅ies, adjective
–noun
1. any of several Old World finches of the genus Serinus, esp. S. canaria (common canary), native to the Canary Islands and often kept as a pet, in the wild being greenish with brown streaks above and yellow below and in domesticated varieties usually bright yellow or pale yellow.
2. Also called canary yellow. a light, clear yellow color.
3. Slang. informer (def. 1).
4. Slang. a female singer, esp. with a dance band.
5. a sweet white wine of the Canary Islands, resembling sherry.
6. a yellow diamond.
–adjective
7. having the color canary.

Origin:
1585–95; < Sp (Isla) Canaria < L Canāria (insula) Dog (Island), equiv. to can(is) dog + -āria, fem. of -ārius -ary

Canary Islands

–plural noun
a group of mountainous islands in the Atlantic Ocean, near the NW coast of Africa, comprising two provinces of Spain. 1,138,801; 2894 sq. mi. (7495 sq. km).
Also called Ca⋅nar⋅ies.


Ca⋅nar⋅i⋅an, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To canary
ca·nar·y   (kə-nâr'ē)   
n.   pl. ca·nar·ies
  1. A small finch (Serinus canaria) native to the Canary Islands that is greenish to yellow and has long been bred as a cage bird.

  2. Slang

    1. A woman singer.

    2. An informer; a stool pigeon.

  3. A sweet white wine from the Canary Islands, similar to Madeira.

  4. A light to moderate or vivid yellow.


[French canari, from Spanish canario, of the Canary Islands, from (Islas) Canarias, Canary (Islands), from Late Latin Canāriae (Īnsulae), (islands) of dogs, from Latin canārius, pertaining to dogs, canine, from canis, dog; see kwon- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Idioms & Phrases

canary

see look like the cat that ate the canary.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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