canary
canary Lexical Profile
canary Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, usually bright yellow finch native to the Canary Islands, widely bred and kept as a cage bird for its melodious singing.
"My grandmother keeps a singing canary in a beautiful brass cage near the living room window."
An early indicator of danger, failure, or changing conditions (derived from the historical use of caged birds in coal mines to detect toxic gases).
"The failing retail sector acted as a canary for the broader economic downturn."
A bright, light yellow color.
"They decided to paint the kitchen walls a cheerful canary to make the space feel warmer and more inviting."
• adjective
Having a bright, light yellow color.
"She wore a bright canary dress to the spring festival that immediately caught everyone's attention."
• Rhymes for canary
Word Origin & Etymology
From Spanish 'canario', originally denoting a bird from the Canary Islands. The islands' name derives from the Latin 'Insulae Canariae' (Islands of Dogs), supposedly due to the large wild dogs encountered there by Roman explorers.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.