pink1
- a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.
- any of several plants of the genus Dianthus, as the clove pink or carnation.Compare pink family.
- the flower of such a plant; carnation.
- the highest form or degree; prime: a runner in the pink of condition.
- Older Slang: Disparaging. pinko.
- Business Informal. a carbon copy, as of a sales slip or invoice, made on pink tissue paper.
- pinks,
- Fox Hunting.pink coat.
- pinkish-tan gabardine trousers formerly worn by military officers as part of the dress uniform.
- the scarlet color of hunting pinks.
- of the color pink: pink marble.
- Older Slang: Disparaging.
- holding mildly leftist political opinions.
- leaning toward communist ideology.
- Informal. of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality.
- tickled pink. tickle(def 10).
Origin of pink1
pink2
- to pierce with a rapier or the like; stab.
- to finish at the edge with a scalloped, notched, or other ornamental pattern.
- to punch (cloth, leather, etc.) with small holes or figures for ornament.
- Chiefly British Dialect. to adorn or ornament, especially with scalloped edges or a punched-out pattern.
Origin of pink2
pink3
- a vessel with a pink stern.
Origin of pink3
Related Words
rose, flush, blush, fuchsia, coral, salmon, trim, prime, verdure, acme, height, summit, peak, fitness, bloom, best, perfection, perforate, prick, punchExamples from the Web for pink
Contemporary Examples
On social media, Madusa refers to her fans as pink warriors.
He was very sincere and nice, but I saw him glance at the pink moustache across my lip.
The pair riff on pink slime, the New World Order, and even the War on Christmas™.
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians)Brandy Zadrozny
November 14, 2014
According to WBAL, investigators were looking for a cell phone and pink underwear that had been described by the victim.
The prevailing color is pink; the headgear: red bows and ears; the guests: super giddy.
Explosion of Cute: Inside the Superfan Mania of Hello Kitty Con 2014Sarah Bay Williams
November 2, 2014
Historical Examples
One-half of the pink roses were on the table, and one from the other half was in her hair.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
By the way, you are not acquainted with the pink room, I think?
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
It was strewn with pink buds; some just opening into beauty, some half-blown.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
The bed was a marvel of pink and white drapery; so was the dressing-bureau.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
The bones of lamb are pink, while those of mutton are white.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
pink1
- any of a group of colours with a reddish hue that are of low to moderate saturation and can usually reflect or transmit a large amount of light; a pale reddish tint
- pink cloth or clothingdressed in pink
- any of various Old World plants of the caryophyllaceous genus Dianthus, such as D. plumarius (garden pink), cultivated for their fragrant flowersSee also carnation (def. 1)
- any of various plants of other genera, such as the moss pink
- the flower of any of these plants
- the highest or best degree, condition, etc (esp in the phrases in the pink of health, in the pink)
- a huntsman's scarlet coat
- a huntsman who wears a scarlet coat
- of the colour pink
- British informal left-wing
- US derogatory
- sympathetic to or influenced by Communism
- leftist or radical, esp half-heartedly
- informal of or relating to homosexuals or homosexualitythe pink vote
- (of a huntsman's coat) scarlet or red
- (intr) another word for knock (def. 7)
Word Origin
pink2
- to prick lightly with a sword or rapier
- to decorate (leather, cloth, etc) with a perforated or punched pattern
- to cut with pinking shears
Word Origin
pink3
- a sailing vessel with a narrow overhanging transom
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for pink
n., adj.
1570s, common name of Dianthus, a garden plant of various colors, of unknown origin. Its use for "pale rose color" first recorded 1733 (pink-coloured is recorded from 1680s), from one of the colors of the flowers. The plant name is perhaps from pink (v.) via notion of "perforated" petals, or from Dutch pink "small" (see pinkie), from the term pinck oogen "half-closed eyes," literally "small eyes," which was borrowed into English (1570s) and may have been used as a name for Dianthus, which sometimes has pale red flowers.
The flower meaning led (by 1590s) to a figurative use for "the flower" or finest example of anything (e.g. Mercutio's "Nay, I am the very pinck of curtesie," Rom. & Jul. II.iv.61). Political noun sense "person perceived as left of center but not entirely radical (i.e. red)" is attested by 1927, but the image dates to at least 1837. Pink slip "discharge notice" is first recorded 1915. To see pink elephants "hallucinate from alcoholism" first recorded 1913 in Jack London's "John Barleycorn."
v.
c.1200, pungde "pierce, stab," later (early 14c.) "make holes in; spur a horse," of uncertain origin; perhaps from a Romanic stem that also yielded French piquer, Spanish picar (see pike (n.2)). Or perhaps from Old English pyngan and directly from Latin pungere "to prick, pierce" (see pungent). Surviving mainly in pinking shears.
Idioms and Phrases with pink
pink
see in the pink; tickled pink.