gray

or grey

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

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adjective, gray·er, gray·est.

of a color between white and black; having a neutral hue.

dark, dismal, or gloomy: gray skies.

dull, dreary, or monotonous.

having gray hair; gray-headed.

pertaining to old age; mature.

Informal. pertaining to, involving, or composed of older persons: gray households.

old or ancient.

indeterminate and intermediate in character: The tax audit concentrated on deductions in the gray area between purely personal and purely business expenses.

noun

any achromatic color; any color with zero chroma, intermediate between white and black.

something of this color.

gray material or clothing: to dress in gray.

an unbleached and undyed condition.

(often initial capital letter) a member of the Confederate army in the American Civil War or the army itself.Compare blue(def 5).

a horse of a gray color.

a horse that appears white but is not an albino.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become gray.

Nearby words

Origin of gray

before 900; Middle English; Old English grǣg; cognate with German grau

Related formsgray·ly, adverbgray·ness, nounun·grayed, adjective

gray

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

noun Physics.

the standard unit of absorbed dose of radiation (such as x-rays) in the International System of Units(SI), equal to the amount of ionizing radiation absorbed when the energy imparted to matter is 1 J/kg (one joule per kilogram). Abbreviation: Gy

Compare rad.

Origin of gray

First recorded in 1975; named in honor of Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English radiobiologist

Gray

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

noun

A·sa

[ey-suh] /ˈeɪ sə/, 1810–88, U.S. botanist.

Robert,1755–1806, U.S. explorer and sea captain: discovered the Columbia River.

Thomas,1716–71, English poet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gray

I lie and nod my head yes while wiping the tears on my gray fleece sleeve.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then the gift card is shopped online in a gray market to collect cold currency.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her neon blue hair is teased high with a gray stripe emerging from the front.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Sept. 30, 2012, FWS delisted the gray wolf and transferred wildlife management to the states.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

More recently, the rows of red and gray cement housing project blocks that sprouted up in the 1980s dominate the view.
In Rome’s Riots, Cries for Mussolini and Attacks on Refugees|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The gray man now commenced an anecdote, which I shall give in his own words.
Road Scrapings: Coaches and Coaching|M. E. Haworth
He has a big, gray shawl like your own, wrapped around his shoulders.
The Tree of Appomattox|Joseph A. Altsheler
Gray Cloud, in a trance, might already have frozen to death.
Shaman|Robert Shea
He is middle-aged and wears somewhat ill fitting brown fur, tinged with gray, and horn-rimmed spectacles.
Seeing Things at Night|Heywood Broun
Even his grizzled hair slanted forward in a stiff cowlick over his forehead, and his face bristled sharply with his gray beard.
Jerome, A Poor Man|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for gray

gray

/ (ɡreɪ) /

adjective, noun, verb

a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey

Derived Formsgrayish, adjectivegrayly, adverbgrayness, noun

noun

the derived SI unit of absorbed ionizing radiation dose or kerma equivalent to an absorption per unit mass of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material. 1 gray is equivalent to 100 radsSymbol: Gy

Word Origin for gray

C20: named after Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English physicist

Gray

/ (ɡreɪ) /

noun

Thomas. 1716–71, English poet, best known for his Elegy written in a Country Churchyard (1751)

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

Word Origin and History for gray

gray

adj.

Old English græg (Mercian grei), from Proto-Germanic *grisja- "gray" (cf. Old Norse grar, Old Frisian gre, Middle Dutch gra, Dutch graw, Old High German grao, German grau), with no certain cognates outside Germanic. French gris, Spanish gris, Italian grigio, Medieval Latin griseus are Germanic loan-words.

The distinction between British grey and U.S. gray developed 20c. The noun is c.1200, from the adjective. Gray as figurative for "Southern troops in the U.S. Civil War" is first recorded 1863, in reference to their uniform color. Expression the gray mare is the better horse in reference to households ruled by wives is recorded from 1540s. The verb is 1610s (with an isolated instance from late 14c.). Related: Grayed; graying.

Medicine definitions for gray

gray

[ grā ]

n.

A unit for a specific absorbed dose of radiation equal to 100 rads.

Gray

Henry 1825?-1861

British anatomist whose work Anatomy, Descriptive and Surgical (1858), known as Gray's Anatomy, remains a standard text.

Science definitions for gray

gray

[ grā ]

The SI derived unit used to measure the energy absorbed by a substance per unit weight of the substance when exposed to radiation. One gray is equal to one joule per kilogram, or 100 rads. The gray is named after British physicist Louis Harold Gray (1905-1965).

Idioms and Phrases with gray

gray

In addition to the idioms beginning with gray

gray area
gray matter

also see:

get gray hair from

gray

or grey

adjective, gray·er, gray·est.

noun

verb (used with or without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of gray

gray

noun Physics.

Origin of gray

Gray

noun

Examples from the Web for gray

gray

adjective, noun, verb

noun

Word Origin for gray

Gray

noun

gray

gray

n.

Gray

gray

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