whiten

whiten: whiten vb 1 Whiten, blanch, bleach, decolorize, etiolate can all mean to change from an original color to white or almost to white.

To Whiten is to make white usually by the applica-tion or addition of something from without

{
whiten shoes with pipe clay
}

To blanch is to whiten by the removal or withdrawal of color

{
blanch almonds by scalding which removes the brown skin
}

or by preventing it from developing

{
blanch celery by covering the stalks with earth, so as to exclude the sunlight
}

To bleach is to whiten or lighten in color, especially by exposure to sun and air or by chemical processes

{
bleach linen by spreading it on the grass in the sun
}

{
bleach hair by use of peroxide
}

Decolorize implies the deprivation of color (as by processes of bleaching or blanching)

but does not carry as strong an implication of whitening as do bleach and blanch (decolorize a colored fabric by the use of chloride of lime)

Etiolate is a scientific term used in reference chiefly to plants from which sunlight has been excluded with the result that the natural coloring of chlorophyll is not formed

{
etiolated plants look sickly
}

Antonyms: blacken

2 whitewash, gloze, gloss, *palliate, extenuate

Analogous words: see those at WHITEWASH

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Synonyms:

Bleach, blanch, etiolate, make white / Cover with white, make white, Bleach, blanch, etiolate, become or grow white

Look at other dictionaries:

Whiten — Whit en, v. t. To make white; to bleach; to blanch; to whitewash; as, to whiten a wall; to whiten cloth. [1913 Webster] The broad stream of the Foyle then whitened by vast flocks of wild swans. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] Syn: See {Blanch}. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whiten — Whit en, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Whitened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whitening}.] [OE. whitenen; cf. Icel. hv[=i]tna.] To grow white; to turn or become white or whiter; as, the hair whitens with age; the sea whitens with foam; the trees in spring whiten… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whiten — is the usual form of the verb in current usage in the meanings ‘to make white’ and ‘to become white’, but white is used in the expression whited sepulchre (meaning ‘a hypocrite’, in allusion to Matthew 23:27) and in the phrasal verb white out… … Modern English usage
whiten — [v] make or become extremely pale blanch, bleach, blench, chalk, decolor, decolorize, dull, etiolate, fade, frost, grizzle, lighten, pale, silver, turn pale, white, whitewash; concept 250 Ant. blacken, darken, dirty … New thesaurus
whiten — ► VERB ▪ make or become white. DERIVATIVES whitener noun … English terms dictionary
whiten — [hwīt′ n, wīt′ n] vt., vi. [ME whitnen < ON hvitna < hvitr, WHITE] to make or become white or whiter … English World dictionary
whiten — /hwuyt n, wuyt n/, v.t., v.i. to make or become white. [1250 1300; ME whitenen; see WHITE, EN1] Syn. WHITEN, BLANCH, BLEACH mean to make or become white. To WHITEN implies giving a white color or appearance by putting a substance of some kind on… … Universalium
whiten — [[t](h)wa͟ɪt(ə)n[/t]] whitens, whitening, whitened V ERG When something whitens or when you whiten it, it becomes whiter or paler in colour. Her knuckles whiten as she clenches her hands harder. [V n] ...toothpastes that whiten teeth … English dictionary
Whiten — This interesting surname, found recorded in both England and Scotland, is of Anglo Saxon origin, and is locational, being a a dialectal variant of a number of various places called Whitton, such as Whitton in Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire,… … Surnames reference
whiten — UK [ˈwaɪt(ə)n] / US / US [ˈhwaɪt(ə)n] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms whiten : present tense I/you/we/they whiten he/she/it whitens present participle whitening past tense whitened past participle whitened to become pale or white, or to … English dictionary

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