dye

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /daɪ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

die /daɪ/

Freq #9918

Meanings

1

verb
To change the color of something, such as hair or cloth, using a colored liquid.

You look different. Have you dyed your hair?
2

noun
A substance used to give color to hair, cloth, or other materials.

She used a blue dye to color the old curtains.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to change the color of... stain tint

2 noun · a substance used to give... dyestuff

More coloranttincture

Word family

Forms dyeddyeingdyes

Derived forms dye-housedye-subdyehousedyelessdyelikedyelinedyepotdyerydyestuffdyewaterdyewooddyework

Related forms diolisticink

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

dye hair
to change the color of one's hair using chemical dye

Verb + noun

Simplified etymology

Dye is an Old English word, recorded both for a coloring substance and for the act of adding or changing color.

Etymology

From Middle English deye, from Old English dēah, dēag (“color, hue, dye”), from Proto-West Germanic *daugu (“color, shade”), from *daugan (“to conceal, be dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust, camouflage”). Cognates Cognate with Old High German tougan (“dark, secretive”), tougal (“dark, hidden, covert”), Old English dēagol, dīegle (“dark, hidden, secret”), Old English dohs, dox (“dusky, dark”). See dusk.

*dʰewh₂- Proto-Indo-European deye Middle English dēah Old English *daugu Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# dye

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /daɪ/
**Frequency rank:** 9918

## Meanings
1. To change the color of something, such as hair or cloth, using a colored liquid.
2. A substance used to give color to hair, cloth, or other materials.

## Examples
- You look different. Have you dyed your hair?
- She used a blue dye to color the old curtains.

## Synonyms
- colorant
- tincture

## Derived Forms
- dye-house
- dye-sub
- dyehouse
- dyeless
- dyelike
- dyeline
- dyepot
- dyery
- dyestuff
- dyewater
- dyewood
- dyework

## Related Forms
- diolistic
- ink

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *dʰewh₂-
- Root: deye
- Root: dēah
- Root: *daugu

## Etymology
From Middle English deye, from Old English dēah, dēag (“color, hue, dye”), from Proto-West Germanic *daugu (“color, shade”), from *daugan (“to conceal, be dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust, camouflage”). Cognates Cognate with Old High German tougan (“dark, secretive”), tougal (“dark, hidden, covert”), Old English dēagol, dīegle (“dark, hidden, secret”), Old English dohs, dox (“dusky, dark”). See dusk.

## AI Etymology
Dye comes from Middle English deye, from Old English dēah, dēag (“color, hue, dye”), from Proto-West Germanic *daugu (“color, shade”), from *daugan (“to conceal, be dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust, camouflage”). In current use, the main senses are “To change the color of something, such as hair or cloth, using a colored liquid” and “A substance used to give color to hair, cloth, or other materials”.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown

dye