Word: white Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English whit, hwit, from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweydós, a byform of *ḱweytós (“bright; shine”). Cognates * West Frisian wyt * Dutch wit * German weiß * German weiss * Norwegian Bokmål hvit * Norwegian Nynorsk kvit * Swedish vit * Danish hvid * Lithuanian šviẽsti (“to gleam”), šviesa (“light”) * Old Church Slavonic свѣтъ (světŭ, “light”), свѣтьлъ (světĭlŭ, “clear, bright”) * Persian سفید (sefid, “white”), Persian سپید (sepid, “white”) * Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (spaēta, “white”) * Sanskrit श्वेत (śvetá, “white, bright”) Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪt/, [ˈwaɪ̯t], /ˈʍaɪt/, [ˈw̥aɪ̯t], /ˈʍʌɪt/ 1. The color of snow or milk; the color of light containing equal amounts of all visible wavelengths. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Not only were the platforms tiled in white, the tunnels were painted white too - to prettify them, and make them less claustrophobic - and the Central proudly issued a postcard of its tunnel-whitening machine. 2. A person of European descent with light-colored skin. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The Indians carried first our canoes and then our stores through the brushwood, which is very thick at this point, while we four whites, our rifles on our shoulders, walked between them and any danger coming from the woods. Example: We could have ridden for weeks, possibly months, and never seen a white man had it not been that Laurie was riding from scattered white to white. 3. Any butterfly of the subfamily Pierinae in the family Pieridae. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Several other beautiful butterflies rewarded my search in this place [...] The most abundant butterflies were the whites and yellows (Pieridae), several of which I had already found at Lombock and at Coupang, while others were new to me. 4. White wine. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A bottle of red, a bottle of white / It all depends upon your appetite / I'll meet you any time you want / In our Italian Restaurant. Example: Those were my first impressions of wine: Ladies drink chilled, soft white while they gossip in the kitchen; old men drink strong, room-temperature red to get shellacked. 5. White coffee Labels: countable, uncountable 6. Ellipsis of white bread Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable 7. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable 8. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: You could see from afar the white of their eyeballs glistening. 9. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: UK, US, countable, slang, uncountable Example: I've got to hit the streets; I've got to move this white. Example: Ten grand a week we were clearing: base, white, meth, weed, anything. I can get you anything to get you high. 11. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable 12. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Venice white 13. Any object or substance that is of the color white. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Nearly two-thirds of the Idaho crop has been great northerns, one-sixth small reds, and the remainder small flat whites and pintos and seed for snap beans and baby limas (table 21). 14. The central part of the butt, which was formerly painted white; the centre of a mark at which a missile is shot. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white. 15. The enclosed part of a letter of the alphabet, especially when handwritten. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Also it giueth a great grace to your writing, if the whites of certeine letters bee made of one equall bignesse with the o. supposing the same were all round, as the white of the b. of the a. p. y. v. w. x. q. d. g. and s. Example: […] the a. b. d. g. o. p. q. &c. […] must be made with equal whites. 16. A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 3.—Wing-Quills or Remiges; Whites and Feminas.—The wing-quills are the largest feathers in the wing, and are arranged in a single row. They include the “Whites” in the cock, and the “Feminas” in the hen, as well as the “Byocks” or “Fancies” in the cock. Example: The usual kinds of ostrich feathers known to the trade come into the Tripoli market. These are whites, blacks, feminas, byocks, spadonas, boos, drabs and floss. 17. The person playing with the white set of pieces. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: In this position, white has an opportunity to make a good move. Example: 1...Qd3 2 Ne1 Nd2! wins since 3 Nxd3 Rxf1 mate while 3 Qxc7+ Kg6 only delays the end. The best White can do is 3 Qc3+ Qxc3 4 Rxc3 Rxe1 when Black also wins the Bf1 and will be two pieces up.