yellows

[yel-ohz] /ˈyɛl oʊz/
noun, (used with a singular verb)
1.
Plant Pathology. a disease of plants, characterized by stunting and the loss of chlorophyll.
2.
Veterinary Pathology, jaundice.
3.
Obsolete, jealousy.
Origin
1555-65; yellow (noun) + -s3

yellow

[yel-oh] /ˈyɛl oʊ/
noun
1.
a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nm.
2.
the yolk of an egg.
3.
a yellow pigment or dye.
4.
Informal. yellow light.
5.
Slang. yellow jacket (def 2).
adjective, yellower, yellowest.
6.
of the color yellow.
7.
Offensive.
  1. designating or pertaining to an Asian person or Asian peoples.
  2. designating or pertaining to a person of mixed racial origin, especially of black and white heritage, whose skin is yellowish or yellowish brown.
8.
having a sallow or yellowish complexion.
9.
Informal. cowardly.
10.
  1. (of a newspaper, book, etc.) featuring articles, pictures, or other content that is sensational, especially morbidly or offensively so: yellow rags;
    yellow biographies.
  2. dishonest in editorial comment and the presentation of news, especially in sacrificing truth for sensationalism, as in yellow journalism; yellow press.
11.
jealous; envious.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
12.
to make or become yellow:
Yellow the sheets with dye. The white stationery had yellowed with age.
Origin
before 900; 1895-1900 for def 9; Middle English yelou (adj. and noun), Old English geolo, geolu (adj.); cognate with Dutch geel, German gelb, Latin helvus pale-yellow; akin to Old Norse gulr
Related forms
yellowly, adverb
yellowness, noun
Synonyms
9. craven, timorous, fearful.
Usage note
It is perceived as insulting to use yellow to describe a person of Asian or mixed racial origin, as in the terms yellow peril and high yellow.
Examples from the web for yellows
  • yellows support royal active role while reds disagree.
  • If you look with the hearts of the reds and the yellows, in fact, you see almost the same thing.
  • Go in the fall to enjoy the foliage's reds and yellows and the breathtaking views from the many overlooks.
  • The new work was filled with reds, yellows, blues and greens.
  • Ochre from clay was heated to produce reds, yellows and browns.
  • The blue and green colours represent wetter and the yellows show drier surfaces.
  • The sun is setting and the light is soft and stirred in reds and yellows.
  • We've found that the purples are deepest in color when harvested on the younger side, whereas the yellows mature into brightness.
  • Hybrids and selections of species range from white and cream through yellows and blues, often marked with deeper colors.
  • Autumnal trees turn brilliant reds and yellows rather than a dull brown.
British Dictionary definitions for yellows

yellows

/ˈjɛləʊz/
noun (functioning as sing)
1.
any of various fungal or viral diseases of plants, characterized by yellowish discoloration and stunting
2.
(vet science) another name for jaundice

yellow

/ˈjɛləʊ/
noun
1.
any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same hue. They lie in the approximate wavelength range 585–575 nanometres. Yellow is the complementary colour of blue and with cyan and magenta forms a set of primary colours related adjective xanthous
2.
a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
3.
yellow cloth or clothing: dressed in yellow
4.
the yolk of an egg
5.
a yellow ball in snooker, etc
6.
any of a group of pieridine butterflies the males of which have yellow or yellowish wings, esp the clouded yellows (Colias spp.) and the brimstone
adjective
7.
of the colour yellow
8.
yellowish in colour or having parts or marks that are yellowish: yellow jasmine
9.
having a yellowish skin; Mongoloid
10.
(informal) cowardly or afraid
11.
offensively sensational, as a cheap newspaper (esp in the phrase yellow press)
verb
12.
to make or become yellow
See also yellows
Derived Forms
yellowish, adjective
yellowly, adverb
yellowness, noun
yellowy, adjective
Word Origin
Old English geolu; related to Old Saxon, Old High German gelo, Old Norse gulr, Latin helvus
Word Origin and History for yellows

yellow

adj.

Old English geolu, geolwe, from Proto-Germanic *gelwaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old High German gelo, Middle Dutch ghele, Dutch geel, Middle High German gel, German gelb, Old Norse gulr, Swedish gul "yellow"), from PIE *ghel- "yellow, green" (see Chloe).

Meaning "light-skinned" (of blacks) first recorded 1808. Applied to Asiatics since 1787, though the first recorded reference is to Turkish words for inhabitants of India. Yellow peril translates German die gelbe gefahr. Sense of "cowardly" is 1856, of unknown origin; the color was traditionally associated rather with treachery. Yellow-bellied "cowardly" is from 1924, probably a rhyming reduplication of yellow; earlier yellow-belly was a sailor's name for a half-caste (1867) and a Texas term for Mexican soldiers (1842, based on the color of their uniforms). Yellow dog "mongrel" is attested from c.1770; slang sense of "contemptible person" first recorded 1881. Yellow fever attested from 1748, American English (jaundice is a symptom).

v.

"to become yellow," Old English geoluwian, from the source of yellow (adj.). Related: Yellowed; yellowing.

yellows in Science
yellows
  (yěl'ōz)   
Any of various plant diseases characterized by yellowish discoloration and often by wilting, deformation, and stunted growth. Yellows may be caused by phytoplasmas, by ascomycete fungi of the genus Fusarium, or by a virus, especially of the genus Chlorogenus.
Slang definitions & phrases for yellows

yellow

adjective
  1. Cowardly; faint-hearted; chicken: Don't get into this race if you're yellow (1856+)
  2. Having light skin for a black person: You know that baker we hired. The yellow boy (1808+)
noun

Cowardice; poltroonery; excessive timidity: Most often in the expression ''yellow streak'' or ''streak of yellow'': I'm afraid he has a streak of yellow in him (1896+)

Related Terms

high yellow

[the origin of the coward sense is unknown; perhaps it is derived fr the traditional symbolic meanings of yellow, among which were ''deceitfulness, treachery, degradation, the light of hell'']