Rēd1, a.
a. [compar. REDDER; superl. REDDEST.] [A-S. rēad, réod, O. Sax. rōd, O. Fries. rād, D. rood, Dan. & Sw. röd, Icel. riōdhr, rauðr, Goth. rauds, O. H. Ger. rōt, N. H. Ger. röth, Corn. rudh, W. rhudd, Armor. rûz, Ir. & Gael. ruadh, Skr. rōhira, Gr. ἐρυθρός, Lat. rutilus.] Of the color of blood, or of a tint resembling that color; of the hue of that part of the rainbow, or solar spectrum, which is furthest from violet.
Your color, I warrant you, is red as any rose. Shak.
☞ Red is a general term, including many different shades or hues, as scarlet, crimson, vermilion, orange red, and the like.
☞ Red is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, red-backed, red-berried, red-breasted, red-brown, red-burning, red-cheeked, red-coated, red-colored, red-eyed, red-faced, red-flecked, red-haired, red-headed, red-heeled, red-hissing, red-legged, red-lipped, red-skinned, red-streaked, red-tailed, red-tipped, red-topped, red-whiskered, red-winged, and the like.
Red ant (Entom.), a species of ant of very small size and of a red color; Myrmica rubra. — Red antimony (Min.), a crystalline mineral of a red color, consisting of the oxide of antimony and the sulphuret of antimony. — Red ash (Bot.), an American tree of the genus Fraxinus (F. pubescens), smaller than the white ash, and less valuable for timber. Gray. — Red bay (Bot.), a tree, the alligator pear (Persea Caroliniensis), found in swamps in the Southern United States. — Red birch (Bot.), a species of birch (Betula nigra), having reddish-brown bark, and compact, light-colored wood. Gray. — Red cedar (Bot.), an evergreen tree (the Juniperus Virginiana), having a fragrant, red-colored heart-wood. It is found in the United States. — Red chalk, a common drawing material. It is an argillaceous iron ore. Dana. — Red copper (Min.), a native oxide of copper of various shades of red, sometimes occurring in octahedral crystals, and also granular and earthy. Dana. — Red coral, a species of coral of a bright red color. It is susceptible of a fine polish, and is much used for ornaments. It is chiefly obtained from the Mediterranean. — Red cross, the cross of St. George, the national emblem of the English. — Red currant (Bot.), the ordinary currant (Ribes rubrum). See CURRANT. — Red deer (Zool.), the common stag (Cervus elaphus), a native of the forests of Europe and Asia where the climate is temperate. — Red gum tree (Bot.), a lofty, evergreen tree found in Australia, which produces a gum resin valued for medicinal uses; Eucalyptus resinifera. — Red lead (Chem.), a preparation of lead of a fine red color, used in painting, and for various purposes in the arts. It is an oxide of lead, and is prepared by exposing litharge to the action of the air when heated to about 560°, by which it absorbs oxygen. Ure. — Red lead ore (Min.), a mineral of a bright hyacinth-red color, consisting of chromate of lead; crocoisite. Dana. — Red man, or red-skin, one of the copper-colored aboriginals of America, as distinguished from a white man. — Red manganese (Min.), a mineral, usually of a rose-red color, consisting chiefly of carbonate of manganese; diallogite. Dana. — Red maple (Bot.), a species of maple; Acer rubrum;—so called from the brilliant red color of its leaves in autumn. — Red marl (Geol.), the new red sandstone. [Rare.] — Red mulberry (Bot.), a tree of the genus Morus (M. rubra), producing a sweetish fruit resembling the blackberry. Gray. — Red oak (Bot.), a species of oak (Quercus rubra) having a reddish, porous, and coarse-grained wood. Gray. — Red ocher (Min.), a soft, earthy variety of hematite of a reddish color. It consists chiefly of peroxide of iron. Dana. — Red pine (Bot.), a species of pine (Pinus resinosa), sometimes incorrectly called Norway pine. It takes its name from the reddish color of the bark. Gray. — Red precipitate. See PRECIPITATE. — Red republican, one bent on maintaining extreme republican doctrines, even at the expense of blood. [France.] — Red snow. See SNOW. — Red tape, the tape used in public offices for tying up documents, &c.; hence, official formality.