Library / English Dictionary

    BLUE

    Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

    Irregular inflected forms: bluer  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation, bluest  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

     I. (noun) 

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    Any of numerous small butterflies of the family Lycaenidaeplay

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting animals

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    lycaenid; lycaenid butterfly (any of various butterflies of the family Lycaenidae)

    Holonyms ("blue" is a member of...):

    genus Lycaena; Lycaena (type genus of the Lycaenidae; small slender butterflies with upper surface of wings usually metallic blue or green or copper)

    Sense 2

    Meaning:

    The sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnoticplay

    Synonyms:

    amobarbital sodium; Amytal; blue; blue angel; blue devil

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting man-made objects

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    amobarbital (a barbiturate with sedative and hypnotic effects; used to relieve insomnia and as an anticonvulsant)

    Sense 3

    Meaning:

    Blue clothingplay

    Example:

    she was wearing blue

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting man-made objects

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    article of clothing; clothing; habiliment; vesture; wear; wearable (a covering designed to be worn on a person's body)

    Sense 4

    Meaning:

    Blue color or pigment; resembling the color of the clear sky in the daytimeplay

    Example:

    he had eyes of bright blue

    Synonyms:

    blue; blueness

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    chromatic color; chromatic colour; spectral color; spectral colour (a color that has hue)

    Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blue"):

    azure; cerulean; lazuline; sapphire; sky-blue (a light shade of blue)

    powder blue (a pale blue color with grey in it)

    steel blue (a greyish blue color)

    Prussian blue (a dark greenish-blue color)

    dark blue; navy; navy blue (a dark shade of blue)

    aqua; aquamarine; cobalt blue; greenish blue; peacock blue; turquoise (a shade of blue tinged with green)

    purplish blue; royal blue (a shade of blue tinged with purple)

    ultramarine (a vivid blue to purple-blue color)

    Derivation:

    blue (turn blue)

    Sense 5

    Meaning:

    Any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are blueplay

    Example:

    the Union army was a vast blue

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    organisation; organization (a group of people who work together)

    Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blue"):

    Union Army (the northern army during the American Civil War)

    Sense 6

    Meaning:

    The sky as viewed during daylightplay

    Example:

    he shot an arrow into the blue

    Synonyms:

    blue; blue air; blue sky; wild blue yonder

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    sky (the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth)

    Sense 7

    Meaning:

    Used to whiten laundry or hair or give it a bluish tingeplay

    Synonyms:

    blue; blueing; bluing

    Classified under:

    Nouns denoting substances

    Hypernyms ("blue" is a kind of...):

    dye; dyestuff (a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair)

     II. (adjective) 

    Comparative and superlative

    Comparative: bluer  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Superlative: bluest  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    Causing dejectionplay

    Example:

    grim rainy weather

    Synonyms:

    blue; dark; dingy; disconsolate; dismal; drab; drear; dreary; gloomy; grim; sorry

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    cheerless; depressing; uncheerful (causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy)

    Sense 2

    Meaning:

    Of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded skyplay

    Example:

    blue haze of tobacco smoke

    Synonyms:

    blue; blueish; bluish

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    chromatic (being or having or characterized by hue)

    Derivation:

    blueness (blue color or pigment; resembling the color of the clear sky in the daytime)

    Sense 3

    Meaning:

    Characterized by profanity or cursingplay

    Example:

    profane words

    Synonyms:

    blasphemous; blue; profane

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    dirty ((of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency)

    Sense 4

    Meaning:

    Filled with melancholy and despondencyplay

    Example:

    feeling discouraged and downhearted

    Synonyms:

    blue; depressed; dispirited; down; down in the mouth; downcast; downhearted; gloomy; grim; low; low-spirited

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    dejected (affected or marked by low spirits)

    Sense 5

    Meaning:

    Morally rigorous and strictplay

    Example:

    blue laws

    Synonyms:

    blue; puritanic; puritanical

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    nonindulgent; strict (characterized by strictness, severity, or restraint)

    Sense 6

    Meaning:

    Belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracyplay

    Example:

    patrician tastes

    Synonyms:

    aristocratic; aristocratical; blue; blue-blooded; gentle; patrician

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    noble (of or belonging to or constituting the hereditary aristocracy especially as derived from feudal times)

    Sense 7

    Meaning:

    Used to signify the Union forces in the American Civil War (who wore blue uniforms)play

    Example:

    a ragged blue line

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    northern (in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line)

    Sense 8

    Meaning:

    Suggestive of sexual improprietyplay

    Example:

    spicy gossip

    Synonyms:

    blue; gamey; gamy; juicy; naughty; racy; risque; spicy

    Classified under:

    Adjectives

    Similar:

    sexy (marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest)

     III. (verb) 

    Verb forms

    Present simple: I / you / we / they blue  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation ... he / she / it blues  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Past simple: blued  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Past participle: blued  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    -ing form: blueing  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation/bluing  Listen to US pronunciation  Listen to GB pronunciation

    Sense 1

    Meaning:

    Turn blueplay

    Classified under:

    Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

    Hypernyms (to "blue" is one way to...):

    color; colour; discolor; discolour (change color, often in an undesired manner)

    Sentence frame:

    Something ----s

    Derivation:

    blue (blue color or pigment; resembling the color of the clear sky in the daytime)

    bluing (a process that makes something blue (or bluish))

    Credits

     Context examples: 

    He was clad in a blue uniform, and I remember noting how trim and quiet he was.

    (The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

    A microscopy staining method that utilizes alcian blue, a cationic, water soluble copper-containing phthalocyanine dye to determine the presence of acid mucopolysaccharides and glycosaminoglycans.

    (Alcian Blue Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)

    Big, dark blue eyes are set widely apart, and are quick and tender or stern with the man's moods.

    (Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

    A microscopy staining method that utilizes periodic acid, an oxoacid of iodine, Schiff reagent, the reaction product of fuchsine and sodium bisulfite, and Alcian blue, a water soluble copper phthalocyanine dye.

    (Alcian Blue and Periodic Acid Schiff Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)

    The coat comes in blue merle, red (liver) merle, solid black and solid red (liver) all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points.

    (Australian Shepherd, NCI Thesaurus)

    The blue speckled is with or without black, blue or tan markings on the head with tan points.

    (Australian Cattle Dog, NCI Thesaurus)

    Nothing more is needed than that you should light your pipe at the blue light, and I will appear before you at once.

    (Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

    His eyes blue, his hair yellow, he has a little mustache which is yellow. His name is John Jones.

    (Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

    Persistent, symmetric, and painless blue discoloration of the extremities.

    (Acrocyanosis, NCI Thesaurus)

    Cells are methylene blue positive on whole mounts, cells have basophilic cytoplasm on H and E stain, and may have Beta-catenin staining in the nucleus.

    (Aberrant Crypt Foci of the Mouse Intestinal Tract, NCI Thesaurus/MMHCC)


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