Purple Heart

American  

noun

U.S. Armed Forces.

1. a medal awarded for wounds received in action against an enemy or as a direct result of an act of the enemy.

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purple heart ¹ British  

noun

1. any of several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Peltogyne

2. the decorative purple heartwood of any of these trees

3. informal a heart-shaped purple tablet consisting mainly of amphetamine

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Purple Heart ² British  

noun

1. a decoration awarded to members of the US Armed Forces for a wound incurred in action

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Etymology

Origin of Purple Heart

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

As a marine, Mueller earned a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.

From Barron's

He joined the Marines and led a rifle platoon of the Third Marine Division in Vietnam, where he received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

From The Wall Street Journal

After a grenade almost killed him in Normandy, he earned a Purple Heart and then sang in the jazz clubs of Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal

He gave out two Medals of Honor, a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medal of Freedom during his speech.

From Los Angeles Times

On the wall in my den are my father’s medals: a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star from when the United States sent my father, Marcelo Villanueva, and others like him, to fight Adolf Hitler.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• badge
• ribbon