green

The word “green” means having the colour of growing grass or leaves. In plain terms, the colour of grass and leaves; also used for inexperience, envy, or environmental concern.

“Green” is pronounced GREEN (/ˈɡɹin/ in IPA).

Here is “green” used in a sentence: “She painted the kitchen walls a soft sage green.”

Depending on how it is used, “green” can be an adjective, a noun and a verb.

The word “green” comes from Old English. From Old English grēne, from a Proto-Germanic root related to "grow" — green is, at its linguistic root, "the colour of growing things.".

“Green” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Green” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: having the colour of growing grass or leaves.

Mixing blue and yellow makes green. In paint or other physical pigments, combining these two primary colours produces green, and adjusting the ratio shifts the shade — more yellow gives a lighter, yellow-green, while more blue gives a deeper, cooler one. Adding white or black changes its lightness.

Green is strongly linked to nature, growth, freshness, and renewal because of its connection to grass and leaves. It also signals 'go' or permission, as on traffic lights, and represents environmental awareness. Less positively, green can suggest envy, as in 'green with envy,' or inexperience.

Beyond the colour, green describes a person who is new or inexperienced, as in 'a green recruit.' It also means environmentally friendly, as in green energy. It can describe unripe fruit, or someone looking pale and unwell. As a noun, a green is also a grassy public area or a putting surface.

On the colour wheel, red sits directly opposite green, making them complementary colours that create strong contrast when placed together — a reason the pairing stands out at Christmas. Because they balance each other, designers use red and green carefully, since side by side they can appear to vibrate.