pink

¹

[pingk]

noun

1. a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.

2. any of several plants of the genus Dianthus, as the clove pink or carnation.

3. the flower of such a plant; carnation.

4. the highest or best form, degree, or example of something: Her parties are the pink of perfection.

   Those runners are in the pink of condition.

   Her parties are the pink of perfection.

5. Older Slang: Disparaging.,  pinko.

6. Business Informal.,  a carbon copy, as of a sales slip or invoice, made on pink tissue paper.

7. pinks,

   1. Fox Hunting.,  pink coat.

   2. pinkish-tan gabardine trousers formerly worn by military officers as part of the dress uniform.

8. the scarlet color of hunting pinks.

adjective

pinker, pinkest 

1. of the color pink.

   pink marble.

2. Older Slang: Disparaging.

   1. holding mildly leftist political opinions.

   2. leaning toward communist ideology.

3. Informal.,  of or relating to gay people or gay sexual orientation.

pink

²

[pingk]

verb (used with object)

1. to pierce with a rapier or the like; stab.

2. to finish (fabric) at the edge with a scalloped, notched, or other pattern, as to prevent fraying or for ornament.

3. to punch (cloth, leather, etc.) with small holes or figures for ornament.

4. Chiefly British Dialect.,  to adorn or ornament, especially with scalloped edges or a punched-out pattern.

pink

³

[pingk]

noun

1. a vessel with a pink stern.

pink

¹

/ pɪŋk /

noun

1. 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

2. pink cloth or clothing

   dressed in pink

3. any of various Old World plants of the caryophyllaceous genus Dianthus, such as D. plumarius ( garden pink ), cultivated for their fragrant flowers See also carnation

4. any of various plants of other genera, such as the moss pink

5. the flower of any of these plants

6. the highest or best degree, condition, etc (esp in the phrases in the pink of health, in the pink )

7. 1. a huntsman's scarlet coat

   2. a huntsman who wears a scarlet coat

adjective

1. of the colour pink

2. informal,  left-wing

3. derogatory

   1. sympathetic to or influenced by Communism

   2. leftist or radical, esp half-heartedly

4. informal,  of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality

   the pink vote

5. (of a huntsman's coat) scarlet or red

verb

1. (intr) another word for knock

pink

²

/ pɪŋk /

verb

1. to prick lightly with a sword or rapier

2. to decorate (leather, cloth, etc) with a perforated or punched pattern

3. to cut with pinking shears

pink

³

/ pɪŋk /

noun

1. a sailing vessel with a narrow overhanging transom

Other Word Forms

• pinkness noun
• pinkish adjective
• pinky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pink¹

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Origin of pink²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pinge(n), pinken, pung(en) “to push (a door), batter, shove; prick, stab, pierce; punch holes in,” Old English pyngan “to prick,” possibly from Latin pungere “to prick, pierce”; point ( def. ), puncheon ²

Origin of pink³

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English pynck(e), from Middle Dutch pinke “fishing boat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pink¹

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

Origin of pink²

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

Origin of pink³

C15: from Middle Dutch pinke, of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. tickled pink. tickle.

2. in the pink, healthy, physically fit, or in high spirits.

   I’m feeling very much in the pink today, after a refreshing walk in the countryside.

see in the pink; tickled pink.

Example Sentences

Scientists had thought chimps were docile vegetarians, but on this day about three months after her arrival, Goodall spied a group of the apes feasting on something pink.

From Los Angeles Times

Retractable doors open onto a small pink and green courtyard, and, around the corner, a larger play space shaded by the building’s kaleidoscopic canopy.

From Los Angeles Times

She was referred to by police as "the woman in pink", because she was dressed in a pink floral top, pink trousers and pink shoes.

From BBC

Rocki Irish Mayers was born on 13 September, the singer announced in an Instagram post, sharing a snap of her cradling her daughter alongside a picture of miniature pink boxing gloves.

From BBC

While the young women that would confront Kirk at his faux-debate events often wore shorts or crop shirts, Erika Kirk favored fluffy, pink and floral clothes that were often almost cartoonishly hyper-feminine.

From Salon