US /ˈɡlɑ.kəs/ UK /ˈɡlɔː.kəs/
adj Freq #248559

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    pale bluish-green or bluish-gray in color

    Clouds reflected a glaucous light across the winter lake.

  2. 2
    adj

    covered with a pale, waxy, or powdery bloom that can usually be rubbed off, especially on a plant

    The glaucous coating on the plum protected its skin from moisture loss.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · pale bluish-green or... blue-greengray-greensea-green
2 adj · covered with a pale, waxy,... pruinosewaxypowdery
Word family
Derived forms glaucouslyglaucousnessnonglaucous
Related forms glaucescentglaucomabloompruinose

Etymology

From Latin glaucus, borrowed from Greek glaukos, a color word covering pale blue, gray, and green and sometimes suggesting a gleaming surface. Botanical use extended the color sense to the whitish or bluish waxy bloom found on leaves, stems, and fruit.

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