definitions

rainbow

[ reyn-boh ]
/ ˈreɪnˌboʊ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rainbow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

having a diverse membership; including representatives from multiple racial and ethnic groups: a rainbow coalition of minority groups.

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RELATED WORDS

variegation, curve, bow, prism, arc, crescent

Nearby words

rain tree, rain-cloud, rain-out, rainband, rainbird, rainbow, rainbow bird, rainbow bridge, rainbow cactus, rainbow darter, rainbow fish

Origin of rainbow

before 1000; Middle English reinbowe, Old English regnboga; cognate with Old Norse regnbogi, German Regenbogen. See rain, bow2
Related formsrain·bow·y, rain·bow·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rainbow

British Dictionary definitions for rainbow (1 of 2)

rainbow

/ (ˈreɪnˌbəʊ) /

noun

a bow-shaped display in the sky of the colours of the spectrum, caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays through rain or mist
  1. any similar display of bright colours
  2. (as modifier)a rainbow pattern
an illusory hopeto chase rainbows
(modifier) of or relating to a political grouping together by several minorities, esp of different racesthe rainbow coalition

British Dictionary definitions for rainbow (2 of 2)

Rainbow

/ (ˈreɪnˌbəʊ) /

noun

a member of the Rainbow Guides, the youngest group of girls (aged 5-7 years) in The Guide Association
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 rainbow

rainbow

n.

Old English renboga; see rain (n.) + bow (n.). Common Germanic compound (cf. Old Frisian reinboga, Old Norse regnbogi, Swedish regenbåge, Dutch regenboog, German Regenbogen). Rainbow trout (1876, American English) so called for its resplendent colors. Old English also had scurboga "shower-bow."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Science definitions for rainbow

rainbow

[ rān′bō′ ]

An arc-shaped spectrum of color seen in the sky opposite the Sun, especially after rain, caused by the refraction and reflection of sunlight by droplets of water suspended in the air. Secondary rainbows that are larger and paler sometimes appear within the primary arc with the colors reversed (red being inside). These result from two reflections and refractions of a light ray inside a droplet.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for rainbow

rainbow

The colored arch in the sky that is often seen after a rain. The rainbow is formed when water droplets in the air cause the diffraction of sunlight.

Note

The colors of the rainbow are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.