Purple Definition
pûrpəl
purpled, purples, purpling, purpler, purplest
noun
purples
A dark color that is a blend of red and blue.
Webster's New World
Deep crimson.
Webster's New World
Cloth or clothing of such color: an emblem of royalty or high rank.
Webster's New World
Imperial power; high rank.
Born to the purple.
American Heritage
The rank or office of a cardinal.
American Heritage
adjective
purpler, purplest
Of the color purple.
Webster's New World
Imperial; royal.
Webster's New World
Ornate or elaborate in literary style.
Purple prose.
Webster's New World
Profane or obscene.
Purple language.
Webster's New World
(in Netherlands and Belgium) Mixed between social democrats and liberals.
Wiktionary
verb
To make or become purple.
American Heritage
To make or become purple.
Webster's New World
pronoun
(rare) A surname.
Wiktionary
idiom
born to the purple
- being of royal or high birth
Webster's New World
the purple
- royal or high rank
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Purple
Noun
Singular:
purple
Plural:
purplesAdjective
Base Form:
purple
Comparative:
purpler
Superlative:
purplestIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Purple
- born to the purple
- the purple
Origin of Purple
-
From Middle English purpel, from Old English purple, purpure (“purple"), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish"), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphura, “purple fish"), of Semitic origin.
From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English purpul from purpure purple garment from Latin purpura shellfish yielding purple dye, purple cloth, purple from Greek porphurā
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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