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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

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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

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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

Take a deep breath in Hollywood’s Kimpton Everly Hotel and you may catch a whiff of sandalwood, leather, fennel, cardamom, violet and cedar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Previous experiments in mice had indicated that violet light near 380 nanometers could reduce myopia.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

SoftBank 9984 -12.53%decrease; down pointing triangle Group founder Masayoshi Son, after all, isn’t exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to wild ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Another fairy entered a bubble and inflated it from the inside until it tripled in size and burst with a violet flash.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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

A wrinkled Northern elephant seal named Violet slid out of a crate and onto San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach on a muggy morning in late August.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Apart from the music, I just think it’s a really beautiful way to kind of show young people still care, as much as the other generations did, about the world,” Violet said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Fresh and elegant, with serious tannins, aromas of violets and roses and flavors including pomegranate and big, ripe red berries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

A military band marches among flowerbeds of pansies and violets.

From BBC ● May 3, 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

Her poems are powerful and dangerous, like violets pushing through concrete to kiss the sun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

Beside me, Louise went to work, sorting through the handkerchiefs for the one embroidered with violets.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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