black

black / blak/ • adj. 1. of the very darkest color; the opposite of white; colored like coal, due to the absence of or complete absorption of light: black smoke. ∎  (of the sky or night) completely dark due to nonvisibility of the sun, moon, or stars, normally because of dense cloud cover: the sky was moonless and black. ∎  deeply stained with dirt: his clothes were absolutely black. ∎  (of a plant or animal) dark in color as distinguished from a lighter variety: Japanese black pine. ∎  (of coffee or tea) served without milk or cream. ∎  of or denoting the suits spades and clubs in a deck of cards. ∎  (of a ski run) of the highest level of difficulty, as indicated by black markers positioned along it. 2. (also Black) of any human group having dark-colored skin, esp. of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry: black adolescents of Jamaican descent. ∎  of or relating to black people: black culture. 3. fig. (of a period of time or situation) characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism: five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the war. ∎  (of a person's state of mind) full of gloom or misery; very depressed: Jean had disappeared and Mary was in a black mood. ∎  (of humor) presenting tragic or harrowing situations in comic terms: “Good place to bury the bodies,” she joked with black humor. ∎  full of anger or hatred: Roger shot her a black look. • n. 1. black color or pigment: a tray decorated in black and green. ∎  black clothes or material, often worn as a sign of mourning: dressed in the black of widowhood. ∎  darkness, esp. of night or an overcast sky: the only thing visible in the black was the light of the lantern. 2. (also Black) a member of a dark-skinned people, esp. one of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry: a coalition of blacks and whites against violence. 3. (in a game or sport) a black piece or ball, in particular: ∎  (often Black) the player of the black pieces in chess or checkers. ∎ the black pieces in chess. • v. [tr.] make black, esp. by the application of black polish: blacking the prize bull's hooves. PHRASES: in the black (of a person or organization) not owing any money; solvent.PHRASAL VERBS: black out (of a person) undergo a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness: they knocked me around and I blacked out. black something out 1. (usu. be blacked out) extinguish all lights or completely cover windows, esp. for protection against an air attack or in order to provide darkness in which to show a movie: the bombers began to come nightly and the city was blacked out. ∎  subject a place to an electricity failure: Chicago was blacked out yesterday after a freak flood. 2. obscure something completely so that it cannot be read or seen: the license plate had been blacked out with masking tape. ∎  (of a television company) suppress the broadcast of a program: they blacked out the women's finals on local television. DERIVATIVES: black·ish adj. black·ly adv. black·ness n.