White
/waɪt/noun
Having the color of milk or fresh snow; the opposite of black.
Did you know?In ancient rituals, the color white was often used to invoke divine protection and to symbolize the transcendence of the soul.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱl̥h₁wós
“bright, shining”
Old English
Old English
hwita
“having a color of lightness, bright”
Old High German
OHG
hwiz
“shining, bright”
Middle English
Middle English
whit
“the color or quality of whiteness”
Modern English
English
white
“the current term for the color associated with purity and light.”