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xanthous

[zan-thuh s]
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adjective
  1. yellow.
  2. yellowish.
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Origin of xanthous

1820–30; < Greek xanth(ós) yellow + -ous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for xanthous

amber, ivory, lemon, gold, blond, cream, buff, chrome, saffron, sand, bisque, tawny, xanthous
British Dictionary definitions for xanthous

xanthous

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or designating races with yellowish hair and a light complexion
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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 xanthous

adj.

1829, from Greek xanthos "yellow," of unknown origin. Prefix form xantho- is used in many scientific words; cf. xanthein (1857) "soluble yellow coloring matter in flowers," Huxley's Xanthochroi (1867) "blond, light-skinned races of Europe" (with okhros "pale"), xanthophyll (1838) "yellow coloring matter in autumn leaves."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper