Link Centre Dictionary

purple

UK/ˈpøːpl̩/ US/ˈpɜː.pl̩/ common slang uk us
adjective (3) noun (2) verb (2)

adjective

1.

of a color midway between red and blue

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2.

excessively elaborate or showily expressed

  • “a writer of empurpled literature”
  • “many purple passages”
  • “speech embellished with classical quotations”
  • “an over-embellished story of the fish that got away”
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3.

belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler

  • “golden age of imperial splendor”
  • “purple tyrant”
  • “regal attire”
  • “treated with royal acclaim”
  • “the royal carriage of a stag”
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noun

1.
2.

of imperial status

  • “he was born to the purple”

verb

1.
2.

Origin

From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”, adjective), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”, noun), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish”), perhaps of Semitic origin. Doublet of purpura and purpure. The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.

Phrases

  • American purple gallinule
  • aniline purple
  • bee purple
  • born in the purple
  • born to the purple
  • bromcresol purple
  • bromocresol purple
  • Chinese purple

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.