purple

[pur-puhl]

noun

1. any color having components of both red and blue, such as lavender, especially one deep in tone.

2. cloth or clothing of this hue, especially as formerly worn distinctively by persons of imperial, royal, or other high rank.

3. the rank or office of a cardinal.

4. the office of a bishop.

5. imperial, regal, or princely rank or position.

6. deep red; crimson.

7. any of several nymphalid butterflies, as Basilarchia astyanax red-spotted purple, having blackish wings spotted with red, or Basilarchia arthemis banded purple, or white admiral, having brown wings banded with white.

adjective

purpler, purplest 

1. of the color purple.

2. imperial, regal, or princely.

3. brilliant or showy.

4. full of exaggerated literary devices and effects; marked by excessively ornate rhetoric.

   a purple passage in a novel.

5. profane or shocking, as language.

6. relating to or noting political or ideological diversity.

   purple politics; ideologically purple areas of the country.

verb (used with or without object)

purpled, purpling 

1. to make or become purple.

purple

/ ˈpɜːpəl /

noun

1. any of various colours with a hue lying between red and blue and often highly saturated; a nonspectral colour

2. a dye or pigment producing such a colour

3. cloth of this colour, often used to symbolize royalty or nobility

4. high rank; nobility

5. 1. the official robe of a cardinal

   2. the rank, office, or authority of a cardinal as signified by this

6. bishops collectively

adjective

1. of the colour purple

2. (of writing) excessively elaborate or full of imagery

   purple prose

3. noble or royal

Other Word Forms

• purpleness noun
• purplish adjective
• purply adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of purple¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English purpel (noun and adjective), Old English purple (adjective), variant of purpure, from Latin purpura “kind of shellfish yielding purple dye, the dye, cloth so dyed,” from Greek porphýra; purpure, porphyry

Word History and Origins

Origin of purple¹

Old English, from Latin purpura purple dye, from Greek porphura the purple fish ( Murex )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. born in / to the purple, of royal or exalted birth.

   Those born to the purple are destined to live in the public eye.

Example Sentences

"And one of the most spectacular displays of autumn colour is the American ash where the leaves will turn a golden yellow before changing into purples and deep red," he added.

From BBC

She arrived at Windsor Castle wearing a wide-brimmed purple hat that seemed to obscure her eyes, which she paired with a timeless dark grey suit by Dior.

From BBC

She once saw the aurora by eye from Lancaster city centre in red, green and purple but admitted it was "a rare occurrence".

From BBC

You mentioned the district being deep red, and I would say we’re more purple.

From Salon

What Torres dubs as “relaxed” green, “commercial-portrayals-of-joy” yellow, “lusty and ragey” red, “teenage” orange, “soft” beige and “mysterious” purple are all accompanied by playful examples of behaviors, objects and societal conditioning that represent each color.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• color 
• lavender 
• lilac 
• mauve 
• periwinkle 
• plum 
• violet