Yellow

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈjɛl.əʊ/

Definitions

1. A bright color like that of the sun or ripe lemons, positioned between green and orange in the spectrum
2. A vivid hue resembling the color of ripe bananas or sunflowers, situated between green and orange in the color spectrum
3. A bold shade often associated with warmth, brightness, and cheerfulness, found in various objects such as flowers and fruits

Etymology: Yellow is one of the few common English colour words that descends from a root meaning "green." The Proto-Indo-European base *ǵʰelh₃- covered both green and yellow, and the Germanic branch kept the yellow sense, so the word is cousin to a surprising number of other languages' words for yellow and green alike. Old English "ġeolu" had the same colour meaning it has today, and it has stayed close to the root of its own sound through every change since. The word shows the same ancient ambiguity in its relatives. Latin "helvus," meaning dull yellow, and ancient Greek "khlōrós," meaning light green, come from the same base, as does Russian "zeljónyj" (green) beside "žóltyj" (yellow). Dutch "geel," German "gelb," and Swedish "gul" all sit in the same family. The verb "to yellow" came into English from Old English "ġeolwian," formed directly from the adjective. Its later everyday sense of warning, as in traffic signals, is a modern development: yellow is the light that tells drivers to stop soon.

Synonyms: golden, amber, lemon, canary

Antonyms: blue, purple, red