pink

[ pingk ]

/ pɪŋk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pink ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

adjective, pink·er, pink·est.

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.

Nearby words

Idioms

tickled pink. tickle(def 10).

Origin of pink

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Related formspink·ness, noun

pink

[ pingk ]

/ pɪŋk /

verb (used with object)

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 pink

1275–1325; Middle English pynken to prick, derivative of Old English pinca point, itself derivative of pinn pin

pink

[ pingk ]

/ pɪŋk /

noun

a vessel with a pink stern.

Also pinky.

Compare pink stern.

Origin of pink

1425–75; late Middle English pinck < Middle Dutch pinke fishing boat

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

Examples from the Web for pink

On social media, Madusa refers to her fans as pink warriors.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was very sincere and nice, but I saw him glance at the pink moustache across my lip.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
According to WBAL, investigators were looking for a cell phone and pink underwear that had been described by the victim.
From Baltimore Ravens Cheerleader to Mrs. Robinson|Brandy Zadrozny|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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 2014|Sarah Bay Williams|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Flowers line the pathways, the moors are pink with bloom, the undergrowth teems with darting wings.
The Ink-Stain, Complete|Rene Bazin
The pink flowers are the largest while those of a yellow color are the smallest.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Pour off the stain and wash in distilled water until the film presents a pink colour.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
She looked at him with a sardonic smile, plucking a pink wad from the lid of a box of sweetmeats beside her.
Atlantis|Gerhart Hauptmann
Mr. Peter Arbuthnot Forbes folded his arms and there was no sign of weakness in his pink countenance.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine

British Dictionary definitions for pink

pink

/ (pɪŋk) /

noun

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

adjective

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

verb

(intr) another word for knock (def. 7)

Derived Formspinkish, adjectivepinkness, nounpinky, adjective

Word Origin for pink

C16 (the flower), C18 (the colour): perhaps a shortening of pinkeye

verb (tr)

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 for pink

C14: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Low German pinken to peck

noun

a sailing vessel with a narrow overhanging transom

Word Origin for pink

C15: from Middle Dutch pinke, of obscure origin

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 pink

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."

pink

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.

pink

noun

adjective, pink·er, pink·est.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of pink

pink

verb (used with object)

Origin of pink

pink

noun

Origin of pink

Examples from the Web for pink

pink

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for pink

verb (tr)

Word Origin for pink

noun

Word Origin for pink

pink

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