Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word black. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in black.
Definitions and meaning of black
black
Alternative forms
blacke(obsolete)
Black(race-related)
blk(race-related, online slang)
blak(Australian Indigenous)
Etymology
From Middle Englishblak, black, blake, from Old Englishblæc(“black, dark", also "ink”), from Proto-West Germanic*blak, from Proto-Germanic*blakaz(“burnt”) (compare Dutchblaken(“to burn”), Low Germanblak, black(“blackness, black paint, (black) ink”), Old High Germanblah(“black”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European*bʰleg-(“to burn, shine”) (compare Latinflagrāre(“to burn”), Ancient Greekφλόξ(phlóx, “flame”), Sanskritभर्ग(bharga, “radiance”)). More at bleach.
Pronunciation
enPR: blăk, IPA(key): /blæk/
(UK)IPA(key): /blak/
(US)IPA(key): /blæk/
Rhymes: -æk
Adjective
black (comparativeblackerormore black, superlativeblackestormost black)
(of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
(of a place, etc) Without light.
(sometimes capitalized) Belonging to or descended from any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. (See usage notes below.)
(US, UK, South Africa) Belonging to or descended from any of various sub-Saharan African ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin.
(chiefly historical) Designated for use by those ethnic groups (as described above).
(card games, of a card) Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare red(“of the hearts or diamonds suit”)
Bad; evil; ill-omened.
Expressing menace or discontent; threatening; sullen.
(of objects, markets, etc) Illegitimate, illegal, or disgraced.
Foul; dirty, soiled.
(Ireland, informal) Overcrowded.
(of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk, or creamer.
(board games, chess) Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess, the set used by the player who moves second) (often regardless of the pieces' actual colour).
(politics) Anarchist; of or pertaining to anarchism.
(typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare white(“said of a character or symbol outline, not filled with color”).
(politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
Clandestine; relating to a political, military, or espionage operation or site, the existence or details of which is withheld from the general public.
Occult; relating to something (such as mystical or magical knowledge) which is unknown to or kept secret from the general public.
(Ireland, now derogatory) Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic. (Compare blackmouth ("Presbyterian").)
(Ulster)
1841 March 20, "Intelligence; Catholicity in Ulster" Catholic Herald (Bengal), Vol. 2 No. 1, p. 27:
Even in the "black North"—in " Protestant Ulster"—Catholicity is progressing at a rate that must strike terror into its enemies, and impart pride and hope to the professors of the faith of our sainted forefathers.
1914 May 27, "Review of The North Afire by W. Douglas Newton", The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality, volume 86, page t:
Now April's brother, once also holding a commission in that regiment, was an Ulster Volunteer, her father a staunch, black Protestant, her family tremulously "loyal" to the country whose Parliament was turning them out of its councils.
Having one or more features (hair, fur, armour, clothes, bark, etc.) that is dark (or black).
(taxonomy, especially) Dark in comparison to another species with the same base name.
Usage notes
In the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa, black typically refers to people of African descent, including indirect African descent via the Caribbean, and including those with light skin. In Australia, Aboriginal Australians are often referred to as or identify as black. In New Zealand, Maori people are sometimes referred to as or identify as black.
Some style guides recommend capitalizing Black in reference to the racial group, while others advise using lowercase (black); lowercase is more common. Both the capitalized and uncapitalized forms are allowed on Wikipedia.
Synonyms
(dark and colourless): dark; swart; see also Thesaurus:black
(without light): dark, gloomy, pitch-black
Antonyms
(antonym(s) of "dark and colourless"): white, nonblack, unblack
(antonym(s) of "without light"): bright, illuminated, lit
Derived terms
(biology: having features darker than closely related organisms):
(other senses):
Related terms
Descendants
Bislama: blak
Tok Pisin: blak
Torres Strait Creole: blaik
→ Dutch: black
→ French: black
→ Greek: μπλάκης(blákis)
Translations
Noun
black (countable and uncountable, pluralblacks)
(countable and uncountable) The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
(countable and uncountable) A black dye or pigment.
(countable) A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment.
(in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals.
(sometimes capitalised, countable, often offensive) A member of descendant of any of various (African, Aboriginal, etc) ethnic groups which typically have dark pigmentation of the skin. (See usage notes.)
(informal) Blackness, the condition of belonging to or being descended from one of these ethnic groups.
black don't crack
(billiards, snooker, pool, countable) The black ball.
(baseball, countable) The edge of home plate.
(British, countable) A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour.
(informal, countable)Short for blackcurrant, especially (chiefly UK) as syrup or crème de cassis used for cocktails.
(in chess and similar games, countable) The person playing with the black set of pieces.
At this point black makes a disastrous move.
(countable) Something, or a part of a thing, which is black.
(obsolete, countable) A stain; a spot.
A dark smut fungus, harmful to wheat.
(US, slang) Marijuana.
Usage notes
Use of the noun black to refer to a person is often considered offensive, especially in the singular, and several guides and dictionaries recommend against its usage. It is more appropriate to use "a Black person" or "Black people" in the place of "a Black" or "the Blacks", respectively.
See the usage notes in the adjective section regarding the capitalization and scope of the term.
Synonyms
(colour or absence of light): blackness
(person):See Thesaurus:person of color
Antonyms
(antonym(s) of "colour"): white
Derived terms
Descendants
→ Japanese: ブラック(burakku)
→ Volapük: bläg
Translations
Verb
black (third-person singular simple presentblacks, present participleblacking, simple past and past participleblacked)
(transitive) To make black; to blacken.
(transitive) To apply blacking to (something).
(British, transitive) To boycott, usually as part of an industrial dispute.
Synonyms
(make black):blacken, darken, swarten
(boycott):blackball, blacklist; see also Thesaurus:boycott