I. ˈred adjective
( red·der ; red·dest )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English rēad; akin to Old High German rōt red, Latin ruber & rufus, Greek erythros
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : of the color red
b. : having red as a distinguishing color
2.
a.
(1) : flushed especially with anger or embarrassment
(2) : ruddy , florid
(3) : being or having skin of a coppery hue
b. : bloodshot
eyes red from crying
c. : being in the color range between a moderate orange and russet or bay
d. : tinged with red : reddish
3. : heated to redness : glowing
4.
a. : inciting or endorsing radical social or political change especially by force
b. often capitalized : communist
c. often capitalized : of or relating to a communist country and especially to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
•
- red in tooth and claw
II. noun
Date: before 12th century
1. : a color whose hue resembles that of blood or of the ruby or is that of the long-wave extreme of the visible spectrum
2. : red clothing
the lady in red
3. : one that is of a red or reddish color: as
a. : red wine
b. : an animal with a red or reddish coat
4.
a. : a pigment or dye that colors red
b. : a shade or tint of red
5.
a. : one who advocates the violent overthrow of an existing social or political order
b. capitalized : communist
6.
[from the bookkeeping practice of entering debit items in red ink]
: the condition of showing a loss — usually used with the
in the red
— compare black
III. abbreviation
reduce; reduction