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rainbow
[ reyn-boh ]
/ ËreÉȘnËboÊ /
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noun
adjective
having a diverse membership; including representatives from multiple identity groups, as those indentifying variously by race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation: Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously described postapartheid South Africa as a rainbow nation.LGBTQ Pride month celebrates all of the rainbow community.Candidates are appealing to a rainbow coalition of minority voters.
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Origin of rainbow
OTHER WORDS FROM rainbow
rain·bow·y, rain·bow·like, adjectiveWords nearby rainbow
raiment, Raimondi, rain, rainband, rainbird, rainbow, rainbow bird, Rainbow Bridge, rainbow cactus, rainbow-collar, rainbow darter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rainbow in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for rainbow (1 of 2)
rainbow
/ (ËreÉȘnËbÉÊ) /
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
- any similar display of bright colours
- (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
/ (ËreÉȘnËbÉÊ) /
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
Scientific definitions for rainbow
rainbow
[ rÄnâČbĆâČ ]
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 HeritageÂź Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural 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.
notes for rainbow
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.