Dye
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A colourant, especially one that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is applied. countable, uncountable
- 2 Archaic spelling of die (“a cube used in games of chance”). alt-of, archaic
"The Superficies was compoſed of ſeveral bits of Wood, about the bigneſs of a Dye, but ſome larger than others."
- 3 a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair wordnet
- 4 Any hue or color. countable, uncountable
- 1 To colour with dye, or as if with dye. ambitransitive
"You look different. Have you had your hair dyed?"
- 2 color with dye wordnet
- 3 color for microscopic study wordnet
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in Platte County, Missouri, United States. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"India ink produces an interesting pattern when used as a dye."
Etymology
From Middle English deye, from Old English dēah, dēag (“color, hue, dye”), from Proto-West Germanic *daugu (“colour, shade”), from *daugan (“to conceal, be dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust, camouflage”). Cognates Cognate with Old High German tougan (“dark, secretive”), tougal (“dark, hidden, covert”), Old English dēagol, dīegle (“dark, hidden, secret”), Old English dohs, dox (“dusky, dark”). See dusk.
Fom Middle English deien, from Old English dēagian, from the noun.
Related phrases
More for "dye"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.