Word Meanings - RAINBOW - Book Publishers vocabulary database

A bow or arch exhibiting, in concentric bands, the several colors of the spectrum, and formed in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of falling rain. Note: Besides the ordinary

Additional info about word: RAINBOW

A bow or arch exhibiting, in concentric bands, the several colors of the spectrum, and formed in the part of the hemisphere opposite to the sun by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of falling rain. Note: Besides the ordinary bow, called also primary rainbow, which is formed by two refractions and one reflection, there is also another often seen exterior to it, called the secondary rainbow, concentric with the first, and separated from it by a small interval. It is formed by two refractions and two reflections, is much fainter than the primary bow, and has its colors arranged in the reverse order from those of the latter. Lunar rainbow, a fainter arch or rainbow, formed by the moon. -- Marine rainbow, or Sea bow, a similar bow seen in the spray of waves at sea. -- Rainbow trout , a bright-colored trout , native of the mountains of California, but now extensively introduced into the Eastern States. Japan, and other countries; -- called also brook trout, mountain trout, and golden trout. -- Rainbow wrasse. See under Wrasse. -- Supernumerary rainbow, a smaller bow, usually of red and green colors only, sometimes seen within the primary or without the secondary rainbow, and in contact with them.

Related words: (words related to RAINBOW)

• FORMALITY
  The dress prescribed for any body of men, academical, municipal, or sacerdotal. The doctors attending her in their formalities as far as Shotover. Fuller. 6. That which is formal; the formal part. It unties the inward knot of marriage, . . . while
• FALLALS; FAL-LALS
  Gay ornaments; frippery; gewgaws. Thackeray.
• EXHIBITION
  The act of administering a remedy. (more info) 1. The act of exhibiting for inspection, or of holding forth to view; manifestation; display. 2. That which is exhibited, held forth, or displayed; also, any public show; a display of works of art,
• DROPSICAL
  1. Diseased with dropsy; hydropical; tending to dropsy; as, a dropsical patient. 2. Of or pertaining to dropsy.
• EXHIBITIONER
  One who has a pension or allowance granted for support. A youth who had as an exhibitioner from Christ's Hospital. G. Eliot.
• FALLER
  A part which acts by falling, as a stamp in a fulling mill, or the device in a spinning machine to arrest motion when a thread breaks. (more info) 1. One who, or that which, falls.
• FORMICARY
  The nest or dwelling of a swarm of ants; an ant-hill.
• FORMULIZE
  To reduce to a formula; to formulate. Emerson.
• DROPSICALNESS
  State of being dropsical.
• FORMERLY
  In time past, either in time immediately preceding or at any indefinite distance; of old; heretofore.
• SPECTRUM
  1. An apparition; a specter. The several colored and other rays of which light is composed, separated by the refraction of a prism or other means, and observed or studied either as spread out on a screen, by direct vision, by photography,
• FORMICAROID
  Like or pertaining to the family Formicaridæ or ant thrushes.
• FALLOW
  Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated; as, fallow ground. Fallow chat, Fallow finch , a small European bird, the wheatear . See Wheatear. (more info) vaal fallow, faded, OHG. falo, G. falb, fahl, Icel. fölr, and prob. to Lith.
• FORMIDABLY
  In a formidable manner.
• FORMICATE
  Resembling, or pertaining to, an ant or ants.
• FORME
  See PATTé
• FORMEDON
  A writ of right for a tenant in tail in case of a discontinuance of the estate tail. This writ has been abolished.
• FORMAT
  The shape and size of a book; hence, its external form. The older manuscripts had been written in a much larger format than that found convenient for university work. G. H. Putnam. One might, indeed, protest that the format is a little
• CONCENTRICITY
  The state of being concentric.
• FALLOPIAN
  Pertaining to, or discovered by, Fallopius; as, the Fallopian tubes or oviducts, the ducts or canals which conduct the ova from the ovaries to the uterus.
• OMNIFORMITY
  The condition or quality of having every form. Dr. H. More.
• FALCIFORM
  Having the shape of a scithe or sickle; resembling a reaping hook; as, the falciform ligatment of the liver.
• INFORMITY
  Want of regular form; shapelessness.
• DEFORMER
  One who deforms.
• DIVERSIFORM
  Of a different form; of varied forms.
• SUPERREFLECTION
  The reflection of a reflected image or sound. Bacon.
• PREFORM
  To form beforehand, or for special ends. "Their natures and preformed faculties. " Shak.
• VARIFORM
  Having different shapes or forms.
• RESINIFORM
  Having the form of resin.
• THRYFALLOW
  To plow for the third time in summer; to trifallow. Tusser.
• BIFORM
  Having two forms, bodies, or shapes. Croxall.
• VILLIFORM
  Having the form or appearance of villi; like close-set fibers, either hard or soft; as, the teeth of perch are villiform.
• REFORMALIZE
  To affect reformation; to pretend to correctness.
• FULL-FORMED
  Full in form or shape; rounded out with flesh. The full-formed maids of Afric. Thomson.
• SCORIFORM
  In the form of scoria.
• PENNIFORM
  Having the form of a feather or plume.
• MALCONFORMATION
  Imperfect, disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of parts.
• REFORMATIVE
  Forming again; having the quality of renewing form; reformatory. Good.