1. of the colour of jet or carbon black, having no hue due to the absorption of all or nearly all incident light
2. Chess Draughts
a. a black or dark-coloured piece or square
b. the player playing with such pieces
3. a black ball in snooker, etc
4. (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being red
5. Archery a black ring on a target, between the outer and the blue, scoring three points
1. Sir James (Whyte). born 1924, British biochemist. He discovered beta-blockers and drugs for peptic ulcers: Nobel prize for physiology or medicine 1988
2. Joseph. 1728--99, Scottish physician and chemist, noted for his pioneering work on carbon dioxide and heat
Sometimes derogatory a member of a dark-skinned race, esp someone of Negroid or Australoid origin
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
black a term used to refer to a variety of non-white ethnic groups. Black is a preferred form, especially among ethnic groups of African origins, reflecting a pride and identity in being black. The use of the term is associated with the rise of black political activism in the US in the 1960s, and is reflected in the slogan ‘Black is Beautiful’. Other terms to describe black people, such as coloured, Negro or Negress, are now generally considered offensive.
In the UK (and elsewhere), however, there is controversy about the use of the term to describe ‘non-white’ persons of Asian origin. Many Asians object to the use of the word ‘black’ to describe them and argue that this usage confuses the identity of a large number of very different ethnic groups such as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians, West Indians, Africans and so on. The counter argument is that ‘non-white’ persons in the UK can be subject to DISCRIMINATION and institutionalized RACISM whatever their ethnic or national origins. In this sense, groups of both African and Asian origin share, to a significant extent, a common experience. See also BLACK POWER MOVEMENT, NEGRITUDE.
Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2000
Fine particles of impure carbon that are made by the incomplete burning of carbon compounds, such as natural gas, naphthas, acetylene, bones, ivory, and vegetables.
Quality of an object which uniformly absorbs large percentages of light of all visible wavelengths.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Western color for mourning. [Christian Color Symbolism: Leach, 242; Jobes, 357]
symbol of sin and badness. [Color Symbolism: Jobes, 357]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.