red

red¹

—redly, adv.

/red/, n. adj., redder, reddest.

n.

1. any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nm.

2. something red.

3. (often cap.) a radical leftist in politics, esp. a communist.

4. Informal. See red light (def. 1).

5. Informal. red wine: a glass of red.

6. Also called red devil, red bird. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.

7. in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt (opposed to in the black): The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.

8. paint the town red. See paint (def. 16).

9. see red, Informal. to become very angry; become enraged: Snobs make her see red.

adj.

10. of the color red.

11. having distinctive areas or markings of red: a red robin.

12. of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness: the red column in the ledger.

13. radically left politically.

14. (often cap.) communist.

15. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples: no longer in technical use.

[bef. 900; ME red, OE read; c. G rot, D rood, ON raudhr, L rufus, ruber, Gk erythrós; see RUBELLA, RUFESCENT, ERYTHRO-]

red²

/red/, v.t., red, redding.

redd¹.

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(as used in expressions)

red blood corpuscle

red blood cell

Red Army Faction

Barber Red

Erik the Red

Grange Red

Great Red Spot

Red Khmer

Red Army

Red Brigades

Red Cloud

red deer

Red Eyebrows

red fox

Red Guards

Red River

Red River Indian War

Red River of the North

Red Sea

red soil

Red Square

red tide

Red Turbans

red figure pottery

the Red Baron

Skelton Red

red elm

Smith Red

red salmon

red spider

Red Cross

International Red Cross

International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

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