Red

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red / red/ • adj. (red·der , red·dest ) 1. of a color at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet, as of blood, fire, or rubies: her red lips the sky was turning red outside. ∎  (of a person or their face or complexion) flushed or rosy, esp. with embarrassment, anger, or a healthy glow: there were some red faces at headquarters. ∎  (of a person's eyes) bloodshot or having pink rims, esp. with tiredness or crying: her eyes were red and swollen. ∎  (of hair or fur) of a reddish-brown color. ∎ dated, offens. (of a people) having or regarded as having reddish skin. ∎  of or denoting the suits hearts and diamonds in a deck of cards. ∎  (of wine) made from dark grapes and colored by their skins. ∎  denoting a red light or flag used as a signal to stop. ∎  used to denote something forbidden, dangerous, or urgent: the force went on red alert. ∎  (of a ski run) of the second highest level of difficulty, as indicated by colored markers. ∎  Physics denoting one of three colors of quark. 2. (Red) inf., chiefly derog. communist or socialist (used esp. during the Cold War with reference to the Soviet Union): the Red Menace.Contrasted with white (sense 3). 3. stained or covered with blood: the red hands and sharp knives of the fishermen. ∎ archaic or poetic/lit. involving bloodshed or violence: red battle stamps his foot and nations feel the shock. • n. 1. red color or pigment: colors range from yellow to deep red their work is marked in red by the teacher | the reds and browns of wood. ∎  red clothes or material: she could not wear red. 2. a red thing or person, in particular: ∎  a red wine. ∎  a red ball in billiards. ∎  a red light. 3. (also Red) inf., chiefly derog. a communist or socialist. 4. (the red) the situation of owing money or showing a debit: the company was $4,000,000 in the red. PHRASES: better dead than red (or better red than dead) a cold-war slogan claiming that the prospect of nuclear war is preferable to that of a communist society (or vice versa). (as) red as a beet (of a person) red-faced, typically through embarrassment. red in tooth and claw involving savage or merciless conflict or competition: nature, red in tooth and claw. the red planet a name for Mars. the red, white, and blue inf. the U.S. national flag: learning respect for the red, white, and blue. see red inf. become very angry suddenly: the mere thought of Peter with Nicole made her see red.DERIVATIVES: red·dish adj. red·dy adj. red·ly adv. red·ness n. ORIGIN: Old English rēad, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rood and German rot, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin rufus, ruber, Greek eruthros, and Sanskrit rudhira- ‘red.’

red adj. redder, reddest
1. used to denote something forbidden, dangerous, or urgent: the force went on red alert.

2. Red informal, chiefly derogatory communist or socialist (used espcially during the Cold War with reference to the Soviet Union): the Red Menace.
n. also Red informal, chiefly derogatory a communist or socialist.
better dead than red or better red than dead a cold-war slogan claiming that the prospect of nuclear war is preferable to that of a communist society (or vice versa).

red OE. rēad = OS. rōd (Du. rood), OHG. rōt (G. rot), ON. rauðr, Goth. rauþs :- Gmc. *rauðaz :- IE. *roudhos. f. base repr. also by Skr. rudhirá-, Gr. eruthrós, L. rūfus, ruber, OIr. ruadh, W. rhudd, OSl. rudū, Lith. raūdas comp. redbreast, red deer, red herring, red lead. XV, redstart song-bird having a red tail. XVI (OE. steort tail).
Hence redden vb. XVII (-EN3), reddish XIV (-ISH1).

red •abed, ahead, bed, behead, Birkenhead, bled, bread, bred, coed, cred, crossbred, dead, dread, Ed, embed, Enzed, fed, fled, Fred, gainsaid, head, infrared, ked, lead, led, Med, misled, misread, Ned, outspread, premed, pure-bred, read, red, redd, said, samoyed, shed, shred, sked, sled, sped, Spithead, spread, stead, ted, thread, tread, underbred, underfed, wed •trackbed • flatbed • deathbed •airbed • daybed • seabed •reed bed, seedbed •sickbed • childbed • hotbed • roadbed •footbed • sunbed • sofa bed •waterbed • feather bed • breastfed •dripfed • spoonfed • Szeged •blackhead •cathead, fathead, Flathead •masthead •bedhead, deadhead, redhead •egghead •airhead, stairhead •railhead • maidenhead • Gateshead •beachhead • greenhead • meathead •bighead • bridgehead •dickhead, thickhead •pinhead, skinhead •pithead • Holyhead • sleepyhead •fountainhead • whitehead • godhead •blockhead •drophead, hophead, mophead •hothead • hogshead •sorehead, warhead •Roundhead • bonehead • arrowhead •bullhead • wooden-head • sub-head •bulkhead •chucklehead, knucklehead •drumhead • muttonhead • spearhead •go-ahead • dunderhead • figurehead •loggerhead • hammerhead •letterhead • bobsled • cirriped • biped •moped • quadruped