Gray GRAY, a. [This is probably the name given to the Greeks, on account
of their fair complexion compared with the Asiatics and Africans. [See
Europe.] "Keto bore to Phorcus the Graiae with fair cheeks, white from
their birth, and hence they were called Graiae." The Greek word is
rendered an old woman, and in this passage of Hesiod, is supposed to
mean certain deities. The probability is, that it is applied to an old
woman, because she is gray. But the fable of Hesiod is easily explained
by supposing the author to have had in his mind some imperfect account
of the origin of the Greeks.] 1. White, with a mixture of black.
These gray and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and
blacks. 2. White; hoary; as gray hair. We apply the word to hair
that is partially or wholly white. 3. Dark; of a mixed color; of the
color of ashes; as gray eyes; the gray-eyed morn. 4. Old; mature;
as gray experience. GRAY, n. A gray color. 1. A badger.
gray
adj 1: of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate
between the extremes of white and black; "the little grey
cells"; "gray flannel suit"; "a man with greyish hair"
[syn: grey, gray, greyish, grayish]
2: showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or
white hair; "whose beard with age is hoar"-Coleridge; "nodded
his hoary head" [syn: grey, gray, grey-haired, gray-
haired}, grey-headed, gray-headed, grizzly, hoar,
hoary, white-haired]
3: used to signify the Confederate forces in the American Civil
War (who wore grey uniforms); "a stalwart grey figure" [syn:
grey, gray]
4: intermediate in character or position; "a grey area between
clearly legal and strictly illegal" [syn: grey, gray]
n 1: a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
[syn: gray, grayness, grey, greyness]
2: clothing that is a grey color; "he was dressed in grey" [syn:
grey, gray]
3: any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are grey;
"the Confederate army was a vast grey" [syn: grey, gray]
4: horse of a light gray or whitish color [syn: grey, gray]
5: the SI unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation; equal
to the absorption of one joule of radiation energy by one
kilogram of matter; one gray equals 100 rad [syn: gray,
Gy]
6: English radiobiologist in whose honor the gray (the SI unit
of energy for the absorbed dose of radiation) was named
(1905-1965) [syn: Gray, Louis Harold Gray]
7: English poet best known for his elegy written in a country
churchyard (1716-1771) [syn: Gray, Thomas Gray]
8: American navigator who twice circumnavigated the globe and
who discovered the Columbia River (1755-1806) [syn: Gray,
Robert Gray]
9: United States botanist who specialized in North American
flora and who was an early supporter of Darwin's theories of
evolution (1810-1888) [syn: Gray, Asa Gray]
v 1: make grey; "The painter decided to grey the sky" [syn:
grey, gray]
2: turn grey; "Her hair began to grey" [syn: grey, gray]
gray I. adjectivealsogreyEtymology: Middle English, from Old English grǣg; akin to
Old High German grīs, grāo gray Date: before 12th century
1.a. of the color gray b. tending toward gray
<blue-gray eyes> c. dull in color
2. having the hair gray ;hoary3. clothed in
gray 4.a. lacking cheer or brightness in mood, outlook, style, or flavor;
alsodismal, gloomy <a gray day> b.
prosaically ordinary ;dull, uninteresting
5. having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position,
condition, or character <an ethically gray area> •
graylyadverb • graynessnounII. nounalsogreyDate: 13th century 1. something (as an animal, garment,
cloth, or spot) of a gray color 2. any of a series of neutral colors
ranging between black and white 3.a. a soldier in the Confederate army during the American Civil
War b.often capitalized the Confederate army
III. verbalsogreyDate: 14th century transitive verb
to make gray intransitive verb1. to become gray <graying hair> 2.age; also to contain an increasing percentage of older people
IV. nounEtymology: Louis H. Gray died 1965
British radiobiologist Date: 1975
the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of
one joule per kilogram of irradiated material — abbreviation Gy
gray 1. n. Physics the SI unit of the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation, corresponding to one joule per kilogram. Usage: Abbr.: Gy. Etymology: L. H. Gray, Engl.
radiobiologist d. 1965 2. US var. of GREY.
Gray \Gray\, a. [Compar. Grayer; superl. Grayest.] [OE.
gray, grey, AS. gr[=ae]g, gr[=e]g; akin to D. graauw, OHG.
gr[=a]o, G. grau, Dan. graa, Sw. gr[*a], Icel. gr[=a]r.]
[Written also grey.]
1. White mixed with black, as the color of pepper and salt,
or of ashes, or of hair whitened by age; sometimes, a dark
mixed color; as, the soft gray eye of a dove.
These gray and dun colors may be also produced by
mixing whites and blacks. --Sir I.
Newton.
2. Gray-haired; gray-headed; of a gray color; hoary.
3. Old; mature; as, gray experience. Ames.
Gray antimony (Min.), stibnite.
Gray buck (Zo["o]l.), the chickara.
Gray cobalt (Min.), smaltite.
Gray copper (Min.), tetrahedrite.
Gray duck (Zo["o]l.), the gadwall; also applied to the
female mallard.
Gray falcon (Zo["o]l.) the peregrine falcon.
Gray Friar. See Franciscan, and Friar.
Gray hen (Zo["o]l.), the female of the blackcock or black
grouse. See Heath grouse.
Gray mill or millet (Bot.), a name of several plants of the
genus Lithospermum; gromwell.
Gray mullet (Zo["o]l.) any one of the numerous species of
the genus Mugil, or family Mugilid[ae], found both in
the Old World and America; as the European species ({M.
capito}, and M. auratus), the American striped mullet
({M. albula}), and the white or silver mullet ({M.
Braziliensis}). See Mullet.
Gray owl (Zo["o]l.), the European tawny or brown owl
({Syrnium aluco}). The great gray owl ({Ulula cinerea})
inhabits arctic America.
Gray parrot (Zo["o]l.), a parrot ({Psittacus erithacus}),
very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in
learning to talk.
Gray pike. (Zo["o]l.) See Sauger.
Gray snapper (Zo["o]l.), a Florida fish; the sea lawyer.
See Snapper.
Gray snipe (Zo["o]l.), the dowitcher in winter plumage.
Gray whale (Zo["o]l.), a rather large and swift California
whale ({Rhachianectes glaucus}), formerly taken in large
numbers in the bays; -- called also grayback,
devilfish, and hardhead.
Gray \Gray\, n.
1. A gray color; any mixture of white and black; also, a
neutral or whitish tint.
2. An animal or thing of gray color, as a horse, a badger, or
a kind of salmon.
Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day. That coats
thy life, my gallant gray. --Sir W.
Scott.
Gray, TN (CDP, FIPS 30700)
Location: 36.41117 N, 82.47974 W
Population (1990): 1071 (444 housing units)
Area: 7.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 37615
Gray, GA (city, FIPS 34512)
Location: 33.00739 N, 83.53575 W
Population (1990): 2189 (799 housing units)
Area: 6.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 31032
Gray, IA (city, FIPS 32565)
Location: 41.84132 N, 94.98416 W
Population (1990): 83 (45 housing units)
Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 50110
Gray, LA (CDP, FIPS 31180)
Location: 29.67689 N, 90.78160 W
Population (1990): 4260 (1496 housing units)
Area: 30.1 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 70359
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