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.