The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gray \Gray\ (gr[=a]), a. [Compar. Grayer; superl. Grayest.] [OE. gray, grey, AS. gr[=ae]g, gr[=e]g; akin to D. graauw, OHG. gr[=a]o, G. grau, Dan. graa, Sw. gr[*a], Icel. gr[=a]r.]
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any color of neutral hue between white and black; white mixed with black, as the color of pepper and salt, or of ashes, or of hair whitened by age; sometimes, a dark mixed color; as, the soft gray eye of a dove.
These gray and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.
--Sir I. Newton. Gray-haired; gray-headed; of a gray color; hoary.
Old; mature; as, gray experience. -- Ames.
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gloomy; dismal.
Gray antimony (Min.), stibnite.
Gray buck (Zo["o]l.), the chickara.
Gray cobalt (Min.), smaltite.
Gray copper (Min.), tetrahedrite.
Gray duck (Zo["o]l.), the gadwall; also applied to the female mallard.
Gray falcon (Zo["o]l.) the peregrine falcon.
Gray Friar. See Franciscan, and Friar.
Gray hen (Zo["o]l.), the female of the blackcock or black grouse. See Heath grouse.
Gray mill or Gray millet (Bot.), a name of several plants of the genus Lithospermum; gromwell.
Gray mullet (Zo["o]l.) any one of the numerous species of the genus Mugil, or family Mugilid[ae], found both in the Old World and America; as the European species ( Mugilid[ae] capito, and Mugilid[ae] auratus), the American striped mullet ( Mugilid[ae] albula), and the white or silver mullet ( Mugilid[ae] Braziliensis). See Mullet.
Gray owl (Zo["o]l.), the European tawny or brown owl ( Syrnium aluco). The great gray owl ( Ulula cinerea) inhabits arctic America.
Gray parrot (Zo["o]l.), an African parrot ( Psittacus erithacus), very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in learning to talk. Also called jako.
Gray pike. (Zo["o]l.) See Sauger.
Gray snapper (Zo["o]l.), a Florida fish; the sea lawyer. See Snapper.
Gray snipe (Zo["o]l.), the dowitcher in winter plumage.
Gray whale (Zo["o]l.), a rather large and swift whale of the northern Pacific ( Eschrichtius robustus, formerly Rhachianectes glaucus), having short jaws and no dorsal fin. It grows to a length of 50 feet (someimes 60 feet). It was formerly taken in large numbers in the bays of California, and is now rare; -- called also grayback, devilfish, and hardhead. It lives up to 50 or 60 years and adults weigh from 20 to 40 tons.
Usage examples of "gray owl".
Ron's old rat, Scabbers, was here no more, but instead there was the tiny gray owl that had delivered Ron's letter to Harry in Privet Drive.
As he looked down at the woman, who was breathing more regularly now, he remembered the gray owl who had caught him up when his dream-self had been at its final gasp, and had borne him away.
Uno did not even look as if he were breaking a sweat, and the bannerman never let the Gray Owl waver.
While she followed the river bank to find a ferry across, the dusk fell, and presently a gray owl came out of a hollow in a tall tree and sat upon a limb, wailing dismally.
He wore a bright yellow cloak edged in red over his armor, with the Black Hawk on the breast, and a yellow surcoat bearing a gray owl.