Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An arc of spectral colors, usually identified as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, that appears in the sky opposite the sun as a result of the refractive dispersion of sunlight in drops of rain or mist.
  • noun A similar arc or band, as one produced by a prism or by iridescence.
  • noun A graded display of colors.
  • noun An illusory hope.
  • noun A diverse assortment or collection.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A bow, or an arc of a circle, consisting of the prismatic colors, formed by the refraction and reflection of rays of light from drops of rain or vapor, appearing in the part of the heavens opposite to the sun.
  • noun In heraldry, the representation of a half-ring divided into seven concentric narrow rings and arched upward, each end resting on a clump of clouds.
  • noun In ornithology, a humming-bird of tho genus Diphlogena, containing two most brilliantly plumaged species, D. iris of Bolivia, and D. hesperus of Ecuador.
  • noun The rainbow-fish.
  • To color like a rainbow, or so brightly as to suggest the rainbow; curve over or surround, as with a rainbow.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun 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.
  • noun a fainter arch or rainbow, formed by the moon.
  • noun a similar bow seen in the spray of waves at sea.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a bright-colored trout (Salmo irideus), 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.
  • noun (Zoöl.) See under Wrasse.
  • noun 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.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A multicoloured arch in the sky, produced by prismatic refraction of light within droplets of rain in the air.
  • noun Any prismatic refraction of light showing a spectrum of colours.
  • noun often used with “of” A wide assortment; a varied multitude.
  • noun An illusion, mirage
  • noun baseball A curveball, particularly a slow one
  • noun poker slang In Texas hold 'em or Omaha hold 'em, a flop that contains three different suits
  • adjective Multicoloured.
  • adjective attributive Made up of several races or ethnicities, or (more broadly) of several cultural or ideological factions.
  • adjective attributive LGBT.
  • adjective poker Composed entirely of different suits.
  • verb transitive To pattern with many colours, like a rainbow.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
  • noun an illusory hope

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English rēnboga : rēn, rain + boga, bow; see bow.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English reġnboga ("rainbow"), formed as reġn ("rain") + boga ("bow"). Cognate with Old High German reginbogo, Icelandic regnbogi and Old Norse regnbogi.

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Examples

  • Heritage Week or Day, established in recognition of the term rainbow nation, coined by former president Mandela in 1996, came to an end in pomp and fashion on Friday night and the hundreds that came over the week witnessed culture blend with the modern world in colour, sound and taste.

    Fiji Times Online - Local News 2009

  • All late morning and early afternoon long, Ernie puts on his cheerful song and dance routine while carefully layering the ingredients on fresh-baked buns in what he calls the rainbow effect -- a special order as to what ingredients goes on from first to last.

    Tom Keshishian: Ernie's Market: A Slice of Americana, Baby Tom Keshishian 2012

  • Everybody know about little children all seem to be fascinated by rainbows because the rainbow is the unique phenomena for children, they always seem happy if they see rainbow.

    “Parts of a Rainbow” Chairs 2009

  • All late morning and early afternoon long, Ernie puts on his cheerful song and dance routine while carefully layering the ingredients on fresh-baked buns in what he calls the rainbow effect -- a special order as to what ingredients goes on from first to last.

    Tom Keshishian: Ernie's Market: A Slice of Americana, Baby Tom Keshishian 2012

  • He goes on to say that he does not expect a world flood, as the rainbow is a promise that this will not happen again.

    Man Builds Noah's Ark arhyalon 2008

  • They seem to forget that the rainbow is a symbol from the Old Testament as a covenant from God that he won't do another flood, and the Christians have also done their share of ritual theft; Holy Communion is a rip-off of the Passover seder.

    December 2006 2006

  • And there upon the rainbow is the answer to our neverending story

    When I was Six... (Music (For Robots)) 2005

  • And there upon the rainbow is the answer to our neverending story

    Music (For Robots): January 2005 Archives 2005

  • And there upon the rainbow is the answer to our neverending story

    Music (For Robots): January 2005 Archives 2005

  • And there upon the rainbow is the answer to our neverending story

    When I was Six... (Music (For Robots)) 2005

Comments

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  • If you can see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun. If you don't, you can't see it.

    May 7, 2008

  • That is a handy trick for working out where the sun is!

    May 10, 2008

  • HA!!!

    May 10, 2008

  • *snort!*

    May 10, 2008

  • Citation (as a verb!) on chonta.

    June 28, 2008

  • Nancy Reagan's Secret Service code name...

    November 15, 2008

  • head in the clouds,

    you can spend a lot of time being

    thrashed by hurrying squalls or

    waiting

    for that oddly angular shred of sunlight

    to stab at the right moment

    to make you

    a rainbow

    January 19, 2009

  • In Dutch we say 'regenboog' but I like the Spanish word 'arco iris'.

    Last a friend gave me a beautiful quotation:

    “The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.�?

    April 22, 2009

  • Does anyone know why there are so many songs about rainbows?

    April 23, 2009

  • Because they are cool as fuck.

    April 23, 2009