anil

[ an-l ]

noun
  1. a West Indian shrub, Indigofera suffruticosa, of the legume family, having elongated clusters of small, reddish-yellow flowers and yielding indigo.

  2. indigo; deep blue.

Origin of anil

1
1575–85; <Portuguese <Arabic an-nīl, equivalent to al the + nīl indigo <Sanskrit nīlī indigo (nīl(a) dark blue + feminine noun suffix)

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British Dictionary definitions for anil

anil

/ (ˈænɪl) /


noun
  1. a leguminous West Indian shrub, Indigofera suffruticosa: a source of indigo: Also called: indigo

Origin of anil

1
C16: from Portuguese, from Arabic an-nīl, the indigo, from Sanskrit nīla dark blue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012