Rainbow

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: rain=bow

CIDE DICTIONARY

Rainbow, n. [AS. regenboga, akin to G. regenbogen. See Rain, and Bow anything bent.].

 A bow or arch exhibiting, in concentric bands, the several colors of the spectrum, and formed in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of falling rain.  [1913 Webster]
" Besides the ordinary bow, called also primary rainbow, which is formed by two refractions and one reflection, there is also another often seen exterior to it, called the secondary rainbow, concentric with the first, and separated from it by a small interval. It is formed by two refractions and two reflections, is much fainter than the primary bow, and has its colors arranged in the reverse order from those of the latter."  [1913 Webster]

Lunar rainbow, a fainter arch or rainbow, formed by the moon. -- Marine rainbow, Sea bow, a similar bow seen in the spray of waves at sea. -- Rainbow trout (Zoöl.), a bright-colored trout (Salmo irideus), native of the mountains of California, but now extensively introduced into the Eastern States, Japan, and other countries; -- called also brook trout, mountain trout, and golden trout. -- Rainbow wrasse. (Zoöl.) See under Wrasse. -- Supernumerary rainbow, a smaller bow, usually of red and green colors only, sometimes seen within the primary or without the secondary rainbow, and in contact with them.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Rainbow, n. & adj.
--n.
1 an arch of colours (conventionally red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) formed in the sky (or across a cataract etc.) opposite the sun by reflection, twofold refraction, and dispersion of the sun's rays in falling rain or in spray or mist.
2 a similar effect formed by the moon's rays.
--adj. many-coloured.

Idiom

rainbow lorikeet a small brightly coloured Polynesian parrot, Trichoglossus haematodus. rainbow trout a large trout, Salmo gairdneri, orig. of the Pacific coast of N. America. secondary rainbow an additional arch with the colours in reverse order formed inside or outside a rainbow by twofold reflection and twofold refraction.

Etymology

OE regnboga (as RAIN, BOW(1))

THESAURUS

Rainbow

Amytal, Amytal pill, Dalmatian, Demerol, Dolophine, H, Luminal, Luminal pill, M, Mickey Finn, Nembutal, Nembutal pill, Seconal, Seconal pill, Tuinal, Tuinal pill, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, analgesic, angry clouds, anodyne, anthelion, antigorite, antisun, aura, aureole, barb, barbiturate, barbiturate pill, black cat, black clouds, black stuff, blue, blue angel, blue devil, blue heaven, blue velvet, broken mirror, butterfly, calmative, candy cane, chameleon, cheetah, chimera, chloral hydrate, chromatic, chrysotile, circle, codeine, codeine cough syrup, cold, colorific, coloring, confetti, cool, corona, countersun, crazy quilt, depressant, depressor, dichromatic, dolly, downer, dream, fantasy, firedog, gathering clouds, glory, glowing, goofball, halcyon bird, halo, hard stuff, harlequin, harmonious, heroin, hop, horse, hypnotic, illusion, iridescence, iris, jaguar, junk, knockout drops, laudanum, leopard, liquor, lotus, lunar corona, lunar halo, mackerel, mackerel sky, many-colored, marble, marbled paper, matching, medley, meperidine, methadone, mock moon, mock sun, moire, monochromatic, monochrome, monochromic, moon dog, morphia, morphine, mother-of-pearl, mother-of-pearl cloud, motley, nacre, nacreousness, narcotic, nimbus, ocelot, opal, opalescence, ophite, opiate, opium, owl, pacifier, pain killer, paraselene, paregoric, parhelic circle, parhelion, parti-colored, patchwork quilt, peacock, pearliness, pen yan, phenobarbital, phenobarbital sodium, pigmentary, pipe, polychromatic, prismatic, purple heart, quietener, raven, red, ring, scag, secobarbital sodium, sedative, serpentine, serpentine marble, shit, shooting star, shot silk, sleep-inducer, sleeper, sleeping draught, sleeping pill, smack, sodium thiopental, solar corona, solar halo, somnifacient, soother, soothing syrup, soporific, spectral, spectrum, storm clouds, stormy petrel, sun dog, tar, thundercloud, thunderhead, tinctorial, tingent, toning, tortoise shell, tranquilizer, turps, variegated, warm, white stuff, yellow, yellow jacket, zebra

ROGET THESAURUS

Rainbow

Variegation

N variegation, colors, dichroism, trichroism, iridescence, play of colors, polychrome, maculation, spottiness, striae, spectrum, rainbow, iris, tulip, peacock, chameleon, butterfly, tortoise shell, mackerel, mackerel sky, zebra, leopard, cheetah, nacre, ocelot, ophite, mother-of-pearl, opal, marble, check, plaid, tartan, patchwork, marquetry-, parquetry, mosaic, tesserae, strigae, chessboard, checkers, chequers, harlequin, Joseph's coat, tricolor, variegated, many-colored, many-hued, divers-colored, party- colored, dichromatic, polychromatic, bicolor, tricolor, versicolor, of all the colors of the rainbow, of all manner of colors, kaleidoscopic, iridescent, opaline, opalescent, prismatic, nacreous, pearly, shot, gorge de pigeon, chatoyant, irisated, pavonine, pied, piebald, motley, mottled, marbled, pepper and salt, paned, dappled, clouded, cymophanous, mosaic, tesselated, plaid, tortoise shell, spotted, spotty, punctated, powdered, speckled, freckled, flea-bitten, studded, flecked, fleckered, striated, barred, veined, brinded, brindled, tabby, watered, grizzled, listed, embroidered, daedal, naevose, stipiform, strigose, striolate, (iii) PERCEPTIONS OF LIGHT.