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gray¹ also grey

(grā)

adj. gray·er, gray·est also grey·er or grey·est

1. Of or relating to an achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

a. Dull or dark: a gray, rainy afternoon.

b. Lacking in cheer; gloomy: a gray mood.

a. Having gray hair; hoary.

b. Old or venerable.

4. Intermediate in character or position, as with regard to a subjective matter: the gray area between their differing opinions on the film's morality.

1. An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

2. An object or animal of the color gray.

3. often Gray

a. A member of the Confederate Army in the Civil War.

b. The Confederate Army.

v. grayed, gray·ing, grays also greyed or grey·ing or greys

v.tr.

To make gray.

v.intr.

1. To become gray.

a. To become old; age.

b. To include a large or increasing proportion of older people: "Federal food programs can't keep up with the nation's rapidly graying population" (Michael J. McCarthy).

[Middle English grei, from Old English grǣg.]

grayly adj.

grayness n.

gray²

(grā)

n. Abbr. Gy

The SI unit for the energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to one joule per kilogram.

[After Louis Harold Gray (1905-1965), British radiobiologist.]

Gray, Thomas 1716-1771.

British poet considered a forerunner of English romanticism. His most famous work is "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" (1751).

Gray, Robert 1755-1806.

American trader and sea captain who twice circumnavigated the globe (1787-1790 and 1790-1793), and explored the mouth of the previously uncharted Columbia River (1792).

Gray

(grā), Asa 1810-1888.

American botanist who greatly enlarged and improved the description of North American flora and was the chief American advocate of Charles Darwin's theories.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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