zinc yellownoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zinc yellow mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zinc yellow. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun zinc yellow?
| 1850 | 0.0015 |
| 1860 | 0.0013 |
| 1870 | 0.0017 |
| 1880 | 0.0026 |
| 1890 | 0.0033 |
| 1900 | 0.0046 |
| 1910 | 0.0075 |
| 1920 | 0.008 |
| 1930 | 0.0094 |
| 1940 | 0.0098 |
| 1950 | 0.0093 |
| 1960 | 0.0092 |
| 1970 | 0.0082 |
| 1980 | 0.0056 |
| 1990 | 0.0051 |
| 2000 | 0.0041 |
| 2010 | 0.0034 |
Where does the noun zinc yellow come from?
Earliest known use
1840s
The earliest known use of the noun zinc yellow is in the 1840s.
Nearby entries
- zinc orange, n.1918–
- zincous, adj.1842–
- zinc-plate, n.1823–
- zinc-powder, n.1881–
- zinc roof, n.1883–
- zinc spar, n.1796–
- zinc-sponge, n.1902–
- zinc sulphide, n.1851–
- zinc white, n.1847–
- zincy, adj.1757–
- zinc yellow, n.1847–
- zindabad, int. & n.1930–
- zindan, n.1844–
- Zindikite, n.1694–
- Zindiq, n.1667–
- zine, n.1946–
- zineb, n.1950–
- zines, int.?1701–10
- zinester, n.1986–
- zinfandel, n.1880–
- zing, v.1899–
Meaning & use
- 1847–A greenish-yellow pigment consisting principally of zinc chromate.
- 1847
Zinc yellow
[see zinc green n.]. - 1901
Zinc yellow may be prepared by the immediate precipitation of a solution of zinc sulphate by a solution of potassium chromate.
A. C. Wright, translation of Bersch, Manuf. Mineral & Lake Pigments xiv. 152 - 1974
Zinc yellow has a greenish cast because of a high content of chromic oxide.
Encyclopædia Britannica Macropædia vol. XIII. 889/1
- citron-yellow1708–a. adj. Designating the yellow or greenish-yellow colour of a citron or lemon; having this colour; b. n. a citron-yellow colour.
- olive yellow1829–
- oil-yellow1843–
- zinc yellow1847–A greenish-yellow pigment consisting principally of zinc chromate.
- oliveness1890–The quality of being olive-coloured.
- Vaseline1966–The greenish-yellow colour of Vaseline as used in the manufacture of glass; glassware of this colour.
Frequency
zinc yellow typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zinc yellow is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zinc yellow, n., 1850–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 0.0015 |
| 1860 | 0.0013 |
| 1870 | 0.0017 |
| 1880 | 0.0026 |
| 1890 | 0.0033 |
| 1900 | 0.0046 |
| 1910 | 0.0075 |
| 1920 | 0.008 |
| 1930 | 0.0094 |
| 1940 | 0.0098 |
| 1950 | 0.0093 |
| 1960 | 0.0092 |
| 1970 | 0.0082 |
| 1980 | 0.0056 |
| 1990 | 0.0051 |
| 2000 | 0.0041 |
| 2010 | 0.0034 |