canary

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A small finch (Serinus canaria) native to the Canary Islands that is greenish to yellow and has long been bred as a cage bird.
2. n. Slang A woman singer.
3. n. Slang An informer; a stool pigeon.
4. n. A sweet white wine from the Canary Islands, similar to Madeira.
5. n. A light to moderate or vivid yellow.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Wine made in the Canary islands. It was anciently included under the general name sack. In the eighteenth century, and as late as 1820, it was in special, demand in England. The principal brands are Teneriffe and Vidonia.
2. n. A lively French and English dance, of disputed origin, similar to the jig: named from the Canary islands. Often written canaries.
3. n. A melody intended for such a dance, written in sextuple (or sometimes quadruple) rhythm.
4. n. A canary-bird (which see).
5. n. A sovereign (gold coin): so called from its color.
6. n. A kept mistress.
7. n. A word put by Shakspere in its singular arid plural forms into the mouth of Mrs. Quickly, in the explanation of which commentators differ. It is probably an intentional blunder for quandary.
8. Of the color of the domestic canary-bird; bright-yellow.
9. To dance; frolic; perform the old dance called a canary.
10. n. In Australia, a name of Clitonyx ochrocephala, a relative of the lyrebird.

Wiktionary

1. n. A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
2. n. Any of various small birds of different countries, most of which are largely yellow in colour.
3. n. A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour.
4. n. A light, sweet, white wine from the Canary Islands.
5. n. A lively dance, possibly of Spanish origin (also called canaries).
6. n. Any test subject, especially an inadvertent or unwilling one. (From the mining practice of using canaries to detect dangerous gases.)
7. n. informal A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer.
8. n. slang An informer or snitch; a squealer.
9. n. slang A (usually yellow) capsule of Nembutal™ barbiturate.
10. n. Australia, informal A yellow sticker of unroadworthiness.
11. adj. Of a light yellow colour.
12. v. intransitive to dance nimbly (as in the canary dance)

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Of or pertaining to the Canary Islands.
2. adj. Of a pale yellowish color.
3. n. Wine made in the Canary Islands; sack.
4. n. A canary bird.
5. n. A pale yellow color, like that of a canary bird.
6. n. obsolete A quick and lively dance.
7. v. obsolete To perform the canary dance; to move nimbly; to caper.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
2. n. a female singer
3. n. any of several small Old World finches
4. adj. having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
5. n. a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge