blue(blo̅o̅),USA pronunciationn., adj.,blu•er, blu•est,v.,blued, blu•ing or blue•ing. n.
Physicsthe pure color of a clear sky; the primary color between green and violet in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 450 and 500 nm.
bluing.
something having a blue color:Place the blue next to the red.
a person who wears blue or is a member of a group characterized by some blue symbol:Tomorrow the blues will play the browns.
American History(often cap.) a member of the Union army in the American Civil War or the army itself. Cf. gray (def. 13).
bluestocking.
See blue ribbon (def. 1).
Insectsany of several blue-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
Printingblueline.
the blue:
the sky.
the sea.
the remote distance:They've vanished into the blue somewhere.
Idiomsout of the blue, suddenly and unexpectedly:The inheritance came out of the blue as a stroke of good fortune.
adj.
of the color of blue:a blue tie.
American History(cap.) of or pertaining to the Union army in the American Civil War.
(of the skin) discolored by cold, contusion, fear, or vascular collapse.
depressed in spirits; dejected; melancholy:She felt blue about not being chosen for the team.
holding or offering little hope; dismal; bleak:a blue outlook.
characterized by or stemming from rigid morals or religion:statutes that were blue and unrealistic.
marked by blasphemy:The air was blue with oaths.
Zoology(of an animal's pelage) grayish-blue.
indecent; somewhat obscene; risqué:a blue joke or film.
Idiomsblue in the face, exhausted and speechless, as from excessive anger, physical strain, etc.:I reminded him about it till I was blue in the face.
v.t.
to make blue; dye a blue color.
to tinge with bluing:Don't blue your clothes till the second rinse.
v.i.
to become or turn blue.
Gmc *blǣwaz; compare Old English blǣwen, contraction of blǣhǣwen deep blue, perse (see blae,hue), Old Frisian blāw, Middle Dutch blā(u), Old High German blāo (German blau), Old Norse blār
Anglo-French blew, bl(i)u, bl(i)ef blue, livid, discolored, Old French blo, blau (French bleu)
Middle English blewe 1250–1300
blue′ly, adv. blue′ness, n.
1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged azure, cerulean, sapphire.
15.See corresponding entry in Unabridged despondent, unhappy, morose, doleful, dispirited, sad, glum, downcast.
16.See corresponding entry in Unabridged gloomy, dispiriting.
17.See corresponding entry in Unabridged righteous, puritanical, moral, severe, prudish.
any of a group of colours, such as that of a clear unclouded sky, that have wavelengths in the range 490–445 nanometres. Blue is the complementary colour of yellow and with red and green forms a set of primary colours
a dye or pigment of any of these colours
blue cloth or clothing: dressed in blue
a person who represents or has represented Oxford or Cambridge University in a sport and has the right to wear the university colour (dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge)
(transitive)to spend extravagantly or wastefully; squander
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French bleu, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse blār, Old High German blāo, Middle Dutch blā; related to Latin flāvus yellowˈblueness