pink

1.
n. & adj.
—n.
1 a pale red colour (decorated in pink).
2 a any cultivated plant of the genus Dianthus, with sweet-smelling white, pink, crimson, etc. flowers. b the flower of this plant.
3 (prec. by the) the most perfect condition etc. (the pink of elegance).
4 (also hunting-pink) a a fox-hunter's red coat. b the cloth for this. c a fox-hunter.
—adj.
1 (often in comb.) of a pale red colour of any of various shades (rose-pink; salmon-pink).
2 esp. derog. tending to socialism.
Phrases and idioms:
in the pink colloq. in very good health. pink-collar (usu. attrib.) (of a profession etc.) traditionally associated with women (cf. white-collar, blue-collar (see BLUE(1))). pink disease a disease of young children with pink discoloration of the extremities. pink elephants colloq. hallucinations caused by alcoholism. pink-eye
1 a contagious fever in horses.
2 contagious ophthalmia in humans and some livestock. pink-gin gin flavoured with angostura bitters.
Derivatives:
pinkish adj. pinkly adv. pinkness n. pinky adj.
Etymology: perh. f. dial. pink-eyed having small eyes
2.
v.tr.
1 pierce slightly with a sword etc.
2 cut a scalloped or zigzag edge on.
3 (often foll. by out) ornament (leather etc.) with perforations.
4 adorn; deck.
Phrases and idioms:
pinking shears (or scissors) a dressmaker's serrated shears for cutting a zigzag edge.
Etymology: ME, perh. f. LG or Du.: cf. LG pinken strike, peck
3.
v.intr. (of a vehicle engine) emit a series of high-pitched explosive sounds caused by faulty combustion.
Etymology: imit.
4.
n. hist. a sailing-ship, esp. with a narrow stern, orig. small and flat-bottomed.
Etymology: ME f. MDu. pin(c)ke, of unkn. orig.
5.
n. a yellowish lake pigment made by combining vegetable colouring matter with a white base (brown pink; French pink).
Etymology: 17th c.: orig. unkn.
6.
n. Brit.
1 a young salmon.
2 dial. a minnow.
Etymology: 15th c. penk, of unkn. orig.