rainbow

[reyn-boh] /ˈreɪnˌboʊ/
noun
1.
a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens opposite the sun and caused by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain.
Compare primary rainbow, secondary rainbow.
2.
a similar bow of colors, especially one appearing in the spray of a waterfall or fountain.
3.
any brightly multicolored arrangement or display.
4.
a wide variety or range; gamut.
5.
a visionary goal:
He pursued the rainbow of a singing career for years before becoming a success.
6.
rainbow trout.
adjective
7.
having a diverse membership; including representatives from multiple racial and ethnic groups:
a rainbow coalition of minority groups.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English reinbowe, Old English regnboga; cognate with Old Norse regnbogi, German Regenbogen. See rain, bow2
Related forms
rainbowy, rainbowlike, adjective
Examples from the web for rainbow
  • Despite their vulgar display, their beckoning rainbow of color, they are barren.
  • Some stains are fluorescent and glow in every color of the rainbow.
  • The context within which color unfurls its rainbow of symbolism and emotion is history itself.
  • How easily the crystal that dazzled the rainbow color in the morning light vanishes.
  • Its crisp, thick flesh comes in a rainbow of colors.
  • With their rainbow of colors and long bloom season, annuals are naturals for container gardens.
  • If you put a whole rainbow of hues into a pot, the result is chaos.
  • When a college stops requiring standardized admissions tests, no rainbow magically appears.
  • They may not be interested in prime factorization, rainbow tables, and cryptographic salts.
  • In one corner stands the leather cupboard, stocked with exotic skins in a rainbow of colours.
British Dictionary definitions for rainbow

rainbow

/ˈreɪnˌbəʊ/
noun
1.
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
2.
  1. any similar display of bright colours
  2. (as modifier): a rainbow pattern
3.
an illusory hope: to chase rainbows
4.
(modifier) of or relating to a political grouping together by several minorities, esp of different races: the rainbow coalition

Rainbow

/ˈreɪnˌbəʊ/
noun
1.
a member of the Rainbow Guides, the youngest group of girls (aged 5-7 years) in The Guide Association
Word Origin and History for 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."

rainbow in Science
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.
rainbow in Culture

rainbow definition


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.
rainbow in the Bible

caused by the reflection and refraction of the rays of the sun shining on falling rain. It was appointed as a witness of the divine faithfulness (Gen. 9:12-17). It existed indeed before, but it was then constituted as a sign of the covenant. Others, however (as Delitzsch, Commentary on Pentateuch), think that it "appeared then for the first time in the vault and clouds of heaven." It is argued by those holding this opinion that the atmosphere was differently constituted before the Flood. It is referred to three other times in Scripture (Ezek. 1:27, 28; Rev. 4:1-3; 10:1).