canary

[ kuh-nair-ee ]
See synonyms for canary on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ca·nar·ies.
  1. any of several Old World finches of the genus Serinus, especially 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: They sell a shimmer eyeshadow in canary that would look nice with your coloring.

  1. Slang. a female singer, especially with a dance band.

  2. a sweet white wine of the Canary Islands, resembling sherry.

  3. Also called ca·nar·y dia·mond [kuh-nair-ee dahy-muhnd, dahy-uh-] /kəˈnɛər i ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə-/ . a yellow diamond.

adjective
  1. having a light, clear yellow color: That canary sweater would pair well with your golden skirt.

Idioms about canary

  1. canary in the coal mine, someone or something that serves as an early warning sign of danger or trouble to come: These fish are the canaries in the coal mine, so when they die off in unusually high numbers, that's an indicator of the river's health.

  2. the cat that ate / swallowed / got the canary. cat (def. 28).

Origin of canary

1
First recorded in 1585–95; from Spanish (Isla) Canaria, from Latin Canāria (insula) “Dog (Island),” from can(is) “dog” (see also hound) + -āria, feminine of -ārius -ary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for canary

canary

/ (kəˈnɛərɪ) /


nounplural -naries
  1. a small finch, Serinus canaria, of the Canary Islands and Azores: a popular cagebird noted for its singing. Wild canaries are streaked yellow and brown, but most domestic breeds are pure yellow

  1. Australian history a convict

  2. archaic a sweet wine from the Canary Islands similar to Madeira

Origin of canary

1
C16: from Old Spanish canario of or from the Canary Islands

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with canary

canary

see look like the cat that ate the canary.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.