Origin: Latin suffix -ary
Canary has 10 different meanings across 2 categories:
someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
"The undercover detective recruited a former gang member to act as a canary during the drug bust."
a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge
"The color of the vintage car's paint was a canary, a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge that stood out against the gray sky."
any of several small Old World finches
"The ornithologist spent hours observing the behavior of various canaries in their natural habitat."
A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
"After years of loyalty to the club, he proudly wore the canary crest on his shirt every match day."
Someone connected with Norwich City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
In plain English: A canary is a small, bright yellow bird that people often keep as pets because they sing loudly and are easy to care for.
"The bright yellow canary sang loudly in its cage all morning long."
Usage: The term "canary" is often used metonymically to refer to any small, bright-yellow bird or even a person with golden hair, extending beyond its literal species definition. When describing color, it functions as an adjective meaning pale yellow but should not be confused with the specific shade known as "canary yellow," which implies a more saturated hue.
to dance nimbly (as in the canary dance)
"After finishing his meal, he would hop up and down on the table to canary while singing a cheerful tune."
In plain English: To canary something means to warn others about danger before it happens, usually by revealing secrets that could cause trouble for someone else.
"The manager can't yell at that employee anymore since he was told to stop."
having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
"The bright, cheerful sunflowers added a splash of canary to the garden."
Of a light yellow colour.
"The contract includes an optional clause that can be exercised on quarterly dates during the first year of the agreement."
That can be exercised on quarterly dates, a set time period (usually one year) after the issue date, and before the expiry date.
"The canary yellow paint made the small room feel much brighter and more cheerful."
The word comes from Spanish and French names for the Canary Islands. Those islands were originally called "Dog Island" in Latin because of their many dogs.