from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Golden \Gold"en\ (g[=o]ld"'n), a. [OE. golden; cf. OE. gulden,
AS. gylden, from gold. See {Gold}, and cf. {Guilder}.]
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1. Made of gold; consisting of gold.
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2. Having the color of gold; as, the golden grain.
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3. Very precious; highly valuable; excellent; eminently
auspicious; as, golden opinions.
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{Golden age}.
(a) The fabulous age of primeval simplicity and purity of
manners in rural employments, followed by the {silver
age}, {bronze age}, and {iron age}. --Dryden.
(b) (Roman Literature) The best part (B. C. 81 -- A. D.
14) of the classical period of Latinity; the time when
Cicero, C[ae]sar, Virgil, etc., wrote. Hence:
(c) That period in the history of a literature, etc., when
it flourishes in its greatest purity or attains its
greatest glory; as, the Elizabethan age has been
considered the golden age of English literature.
{Golden balls}, three gilt balls used as a sign of a
pawnbroker's office or shop; -- originally taken from the
coat of arms of Lombardy, the first money lenders in
London having been Lombards.
{Golden bull}. See under {Bull}, an edict.
{Golden chain} (Bot.), the shrub {Cytisus Laburnum}, so named
from its long clusters of yellow blossoms.
{Golden club} (Bot.), an aquatic plant ({Orontium
aquaticum}), bearing a thick spike of minute yellow
flowers.
{Golden cup} (Bot.), the buttercup.
{Golden eagle} (Zool.), a large and powerful eagle ({Aquila
Chrysa["e]tos}) inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North
America. It is so called from the brownish yellow tips of
the feathers on the head and neck. A dark variety is
called the {royal eagle}; the young in the second year is
the {ring-tailed eagle}.
{Golden fleece}.
(a) (Mythol.) The fleece of gold fabled to have been taken
from the ram that bore Phryxus through the air to
Colchis, and in quest of which Jason undertook the
Argonautic expedition.
(b) (Her.) An order of knighthood instituted in 1429 by
Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; -- called also
{Toison d'Or}.
{Golden grease}, a bribe; a fee. [Slang]
{Golden hair} (Bot.), a South African shrubby composite plant
with golden yellow flowers, the {Chrysocoma Coma-aurea}.
{Golden Horde} (Hist.), a tribe of Mongolian Tartars who
overran and settled in Southern Russia early in the 18th
century.
{Golden Legend}, a hagiology (the "Aurea Legenda") written by
James de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, in the 13th
century, translated and printed by Caxton in 1483, and
partially paraphrased by Longfellow in a poem thus
entitled.
{Golden marcasite} tin. [Obs.]
{Golden mean}, the way of wisdom and safety between extremes;
sufficiency without excess; moderation.
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Angels guard him in the golden mean. --Pope.
{Golden mole} (Zool), one of several South African
Insectivora of the family {Chrysochlorid[ae]}, resembling
moles in form and habits. The fur is tinted with green,
purple, and gold.
{Golden number} (Chronol.), a number showing the year of the
lunar or Metonic cycle. It is reckoned from 1 to 19, and
is so called from having formerly been written in the
calendar in gold.
{Golden oriole}. (Zool.) See {Oriole}.
{Golden pheasant}. See under {Pheasant}.
{Golden pippin}, a kind of apple, of a bright yellow color.
{Golden plover} (Zool.), one of several species of plovers,
of the genus {Charadrius}, esp. the European ({Charadrius
apricarius}, syn. {Charadrius pluvialis}; -- called also
{yellow plover}, {black-breasted plover}, {hill plover},
and {whistling plover}. The common American species
({Charadrius dominicus}) is also called {frostbird}, and
{bullhead}.
{Golden robin}. (Zool.) See {Baltimore oriole}, in Vocab.
{Golden rose} (R. C. Ch.), a gold or gilded rose blessed by
the pope on the fourth Sunday in Lent, and sent to some
church or person in recognition of special services
rendered to the Holy See.
{Golden rule}.
(a) The rule of doing as we would have others do to us.
Cf. --Luke vi. 31.
(b) The rule of proportion, or rule of three.
{Golden samphire} (Bot.), a composite plant ({Inula
crithmoides}), found on the seashore of Europe.
{Golden saxifrage} (Bot.), a low herb with yellow flowers
({Chrysosplenium oppositifolium}), blossoming in wet
places in early spring.
{Golden seal} (Bot.), a perennial ranunculaceous herb
({Hydrastis Canadensis}), with a thick knotted rootstock
and large rounded leaves.
{Golden sulphide of antimony}, or {Golden sulphuret of
antimony} (Chem.), the pentasulphide of antimony, a golden or
orange yellow powder.
{Golden warbler} (Zool.), a common American wood warbler
({Dendroica [ae]stiva}); -- called also {blue-eyed yellow
warbler}, {garden warbler}, and {summer yellow bird}.
{Golden wasp} (Zool.), a bright-colored hymenopterous insect,
of the family {Chrysidid[ae]}. The colors are golden,
blue, and green.
{Golden wedding}. See under {Wedding}.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Yellow \Yel"low\ (y[e^]l"l[-o]), a. [Compar. {Yellower}
(y[e^]l"l[-o]*[~e]r); superl. {Yellowest}.] [OE. yelow,
yelwe, [yogh]elow, [yogh]eoluw, from AS. geolu; akin to D.
geel, OS. & OHG. gelo, G. gelb, Icel. gulr, Sw. gul, Dan.
guul, L. helvus light bay, Gr. chlo`n young verdure, chlwro`s
greenish yellow, Skr. hari tawny, yellowish. [root]49. Cf.
{Chlorine}, {Gall} a bitter liquid, {Gold}, {Yolk}.]
1. Being of a bright saffronlike color; of the color of gold
or brass; having the hue of that part of the rainbow, or
of the solar spectrum, which is between the orange and the
green.
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Her yellow hair was browded [braided] in a tress.
--Chaucer.
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A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought
First fruits, the green ear and the yellow sheaf.
--Milton.
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The line of yellow light dies fast away. --Keble.
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2. Cowardly; hence, dishonorable; mean; contemptible; as, he
has a yellow streak. [Slang]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
3. Sensational; -- said of some newspapers, their makers,
etc.; as, yellow journal, journalism, etc. [Colloq.]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Yellow atrophy} (Med.), a fatal affection of the liver, in
which it undergoes fatty degeneration, and becomes rapidly
smaller and of a deep yellow tinge. The marked symptoms
are black vomit, delirium, convulsions, coma, and
jaundice.
{Yellow bark}, calisaya bark.
{Yellow bass} (Zool.), a North American fresh-water bass
({Morone interrupta}) native of the lower parts of the
Mississippi and its tributaries. It is yellow, with
several more or less broken black stripes or bars. Called
also {barfish}.
{Yellow berry}. (Bot.) Same as {Persian berry}, under
{Persian}.
{Yellow boy}, a gold coin, as a guinea. [Slang] --Arbuthnot.
{Yellow brier}. (Bot.) See under {Brier}.
{Yellow bugle} (Bot.), a European labiate plant ({Ajuga
Chamaepitys}).
{Yellow bunting} (Zool.), the European yellow-hammer.
{Yellow cat} (Zool.), a yellow catfish; especially, the
bashaw.
{Yellow copperas} (Min.), a hydrous sulphate of iron; --
called also {copiapite}.
{Yellow copper ore}, a sulphide of copper and iron; copper
pyrites. See {Chalcopyrite}.
{Yellow cress} (Bot.), a yellow-flowered, cruciferous plant
({Barbarea praecox}), sometimes grown as a salad plant.
{Yellow dock}. (Bot.) See the Note under {Dock}.
{Yellow earth}, a yellowish clay, colored by iron, sometimes
used as a yellow pigment.
{Yellow fever} (Med.), a malignant, contagious, febrile
disease of warm climates, attended with jaundice,
producing a yellow color of the skin, and with the black
vomit. See {Black vomit}, in the Vocabulary.
{Yellow flag}, the quarantine flag. See under {Quarantine},
and 3d {Flag}.
{Yellow jack}.
(a) The yellow fever. See under 2d {Jack}.
(b) The quarantine flag. See under {Quarantine}.
{Yellow jacket} (Zool.), any one of several species of
American social wasps of the genus {Vespa}, in which the
color of the body is partly bright yellow. These wasps are
noted for their irritability, and for their painful
stings.
{Yellow lead ore} (Min.), wulfenite.
{Yellow lemur} (Zool.), the kinkajou.
{Yellow macauco} (Zool.), the kinkajou.
{Yellow mackerel} (Zool.), the jurel.
{Yellow metal}. Same as {Muntz metal}, under {Metal}.
{Yellow ocher} (Min.), an impure, earthy variety of brown
iron ore, which is used as a pigment.
{Yellow oxeye} (Bot.), a yellow-flowered plant
({Chrysanthemum segetum}) closely related to the oxeye
daisy.
{Yellow perch} (Zool.), the common American perch. See
{Perch}.
{Yellow pike} (Zool.), the wall-eye.
{Yellow pine} (Bot.), any of several kinds of pine; also,
their yellowish and generally durable timber. Among the
most common are valuable species are {Pinus mitis} and
{Pinus palustris} of the Eastern and Southern States, and
{Pinus ponderosa} and {Pinus Arizonica} of the Rocky
Mountains and Pacific States.
{Yellow plover} (Zool.), the golden plover.
{Yellow precipitate} (Med. Chem.), an oxide of mercury which
is thrown down as an amorphous yellow powder on adding
corrosive sublimate to limewater.
{Yellow puccoon}. (Bot.) Same as {Orangeroot}.
{Yellow rail} (Zool.), a small American rail ({Porzana
Noveboracensis}) in which the lower parts are dull yellow,
darkest on the breast. The back is streaked with brownish
yellow and with black, and spotted with white. Called also
{yellow crake}.
{Yellow rattle}, {Yellow rocket}. (Bot.) See under {Rattle},
and {Rocket}.
{Yellow Sally} (Zool.), a greenish or yellowish European
stone fly of the genus {Chloroperla}; -- so called by
anglers.
{Yellow sculpin} (Zool.), the dragonet.
{Yellow snake} (Zool.), a West Indian boa ({Chilobothrus
inornatus}) common in Jamaica. It becomes from eight to
ten long. The body is yellowish or yellowish green, mixed
with black, and anteriorly with black lines.
{Yellow spot}.
(a) (Anat.) A small yellowish spot with a central pit, the
fovea centralis, in the center of the retina where
vision is most accurate. See {Eye}.
(b) (Zool.) A small American butterfly ({Polites Peckius})
of the Skipper family. Its wings are brownish, with a
large, irregular, bright yellow spot on each of the
hind wings, most conspicuous beneath. Called also
{Peck's skipper}. See Illust. under {Skipper}, n., 5.
{Yellow tit} (Zool.), any one of several species of crested
titmice of the genus {Machlolophus}, native of India. The
predominating colors of the plumage are yellow and green.
{Yellow viper} (Zool.), the fer-de-lance.
{Yellow warbler} (Zool.), any one of several species of
American warblers of the genus {Dendroica} in which the
predominant color is yellow, especially {Dendroica
aestiva}, which is a very abundant and familiar species;
-- called also {garden warbler}, {golden warbler}, {summer
yellowbird}, {summer warbler}, and {yellow-poll warbler}.
{Yellow wash} (Pharm.), yellow oxide of mercury suspended in
water, -- a mixture prepared by adding corrosive sublimate
to limewater.
{Yellow wren} (Zool.)
(a) The European willow warbler.
(b) The European wood warbler.
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