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whit·ing¹ (wītĭng, hwī-)

A pure white grade of chalk that has been ground and washed for use in paints, ink, and putty.

[Middle English whityng, from whiten, to whiten, from white, white; see WHITE.]

whit·ing² (wītĭng, hwī-)

n. pl. whiting or whit·ings

1. A food fish (Merlangius merlangus) of the eastern North Atlantic and the Black Sea, closely related to and resembling the cod.

2. Any of various marine food fishes having delicate white flesh, especially several hakes of the genus Merluccius and several kingfishes of the genus Menticirrhus.

[Middle English whitynge, from Middle Dutch wijting; see kweit- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

white

(wīt, hwīt)

1. The achromatic color of maximum lightness; the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths; the complement or antagonist of black, the other extreme of the neutral gray series. Although typically a response to maximum stimulation of the retina, the perception of white appears always to depend on contrast.

2. The white or nearly white part, as:

a. The albumen of an egg.

b. The white part of an eyeball.

c. A blank or unprinted area, as of an advertisement.

3. One that is white or nearly white, as:

a. whites Pieces of laundry having a white or nearly white color.

b. whites White pants or a white outfit of a special nature: tennis whites.

c. whites The white dress uniform of the US Navy or Coast Guard.

d. A white wine.

e. A white pigment.

f. A white breed, species, or variety of animal.

g. Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Pierinae, characteristically having chiefly white wings often with black markings.

h. also White A member of a racial group having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin.

i. often whites Products of a white color, such as flour, salt, and sugar.

4. Games

a. The white or light-colored pieces, as in chess.

b. The player using these pieces.

a. The outermost ring of an archery target.

b. A hit in this ring.

6. whites Medicine Leukorrhea.

7. White A member of a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.

adj. whit·er, whit·est

1. Being of the color white; devoid of hue, as new snow.

2. Approaching the color white, as:

a. Weakly colored; almost colorless; pale: white wine.

b. Pale gray; silvery and lustrous: white hair.

c. Bloodless; blanched.

3. Light or whitish in color or having light or whitish parts. Used with animal and plant names.

4. also White Of or belonging to a racial group of people having light-colored skin, especially when of European origin, and in some classifications also when of Middle Eastern or North African origin: voting patterns within the white population.

5. Habited in white: white nuns.

6. Accompanied by or mantled with snow: a white Christmas.

a. Incandescent: white flames.

b. Intensely heated; impassioned: white with fury.

8. White Of or relating to a conservative or counterrevolutionary faction, especially one opposing the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war.

9. With milk added. Used of tea or coffee.

10. Archaic Unsullied; pure.

tr.v. whit·ed, whit·ing, whites

Printing To cover or make illegible with white coloring. Often used with out.

[Middle English, from Old English hwīt; see kweit- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

whiteness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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