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• violet
  violet

  noun

  any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.
• Violet
  Violet

  noun

  a female given name.

violet

¹ American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

noun

• violets
  plural

1. any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers.

2. any such plant except the pansy and the viola.

3. the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

4. any of various similar plants of other genera.

5. reddish-blue, a color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red, an effect of light with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers.

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adjective

1. of the color violet; reddish-blue.

   violet hats.

Violet ² American  

[vahy-uh-lit] / ˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

Also Violette

noun

1. a female given name.

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violet British  

/ ˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

1. any of various temperate perennial herbaceous plants of the violaceous genus Viola, such as V. odorata ( sweet (or garden ) violet ), typically having mauve or bluish flowers with irregular showy petals

2. any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet

4. 1. any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same purplish-blue hue. They lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to blue; approximate wavelength range 445–390 nanometres

   2. ( as adjective )

      a violet dress

5. a dye or pigment of or producing these colours

6. violet clothing

   dressed in violet

7. informal a shy person

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violet Idioms  

1. see shrinking violet.

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Usage

violet flower A violet is a flower known for its vibrant bluish-purple color (the basis of the name of the color violet). The name violet can refer to any flower in the genus Viola, some of which are other colors (including blue, yellow, and white) or are variegated. The most well-known variety is called the common blue violet. The violet family contains many different species of plants, including trees and shrubs. The violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. It’s also one of the February birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Violets are often said to represent modesty. The idiom shrinking violet refers to someone who is shy or (overly) modest. Example: For my birthday, my wife always gives me a bouquet of beautiful violets.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• violet-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• violets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violet

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; see -et

Explanation

Roses are red, violets are blue...actually, violets are closer to purple — but purple doesn't rhyme with anything. The word violet can refer either to a purplish-blue color or to the tiny flower of that color. On the color spectrum, violet is a variation on purple that sits a bit closer to blue than red. The color violet comes from the flower name, which is rooted in the Latin viola. The violet is a plant with small flowers that vary in color from pale violet to dark blue, as well as white. If you're coloring violets in a coloring book, you can choose the violet crayon!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

violet Violet violets

The paper is titled "Towards fibre-like loss for photonic integration from violet to near-infrared."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Suddenly, the world is plunged into an eerie, violet darkness.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Claire’s, the accessories store and mall staple that has pierced the ears of more than 131 million customers over the decades, had long built its brand with a distinctive shade of bright violet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

A blooming marvellous kit - South Korea's away strip featured an energetic, floral design set against a violet base.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

The ceiling lights in the limo changed color from violet to blue then to green and to yellow.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Violet works in reproductive health services, while Annie runs Hear Her Collective, which seeks to improve support for girls and young women.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Today, Violet, Holly, Annie and Christine have managed to rebuild their lives.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

But as Violet disappeared into the waves that morning, she looked vulnerable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

If that sounds worrisome, the hapless bachelors of Violet Du Feng’s documentary may put one’s mind at rest about angry, frustrated men.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Violet looked around the cramped, smelly room in which they had been living.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

The color palette is dominated by greens, blues and violets toward the east, marking the sun’s rise, and reds, oranges and golds to the west.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The pearl-bordered fritillary, a striking orange-and-black butterfly whose caterpillars feed only on violets, has declined by 70%.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

“Mike took it and made it incredibly subtle: flesh with the violets and the purples and the pearlescence,” Del Toro says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

“I used to come to the Huntington with my mother when I was a child. She loved to garden, especially African violets, and she passed that love of plants and nature on to me.”

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

She was gathering flowers with her companions in the vale of Enna, in a meadow of soft grass and roses and crocus and lovely violets and iris and hyacinths.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• color
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