purple
Noun pluralpurples
Pluralpurples
Formspurples, purpling, purpled
- 1Having a color between red and blue, like grapes or violets.
She picked a purple dress for the party.
The grapes turned purple as they got ripe.
UsageSay turn purple. Both purpler and more purple are fine.
Similarviolet
- 2A color made by mixing red and blue.
My little sister's favorite color is purple.
He painted his bedroom door a deep purple.
UsageSay she wore purple, or a dark purple.
Similarviolet
Note
- 3The purple robes of emperors or cardinals, or the high rank and power they show.
The emperor put on the purple before he met the crowd.
In ancient Rome, only the most powerful people could wear the purple.
UsageSay wear the purple.
Note
- 4Having a mix of voters from both big US political parties.
Like mixing red and blue paint: the place has voters from both sides blended together.
Ohio used to be a purple state, with close elections every time.
Our county is purple, so both parties campaign hard here.
UsageSay a purple state.
Similarcompetitive
Note
Less common meanings
- 5Written in a way that is too fancy and full of big words.
His purple writing made a simple story hard to read.
The teacher said my essay was too purple and asked me to cut the fancy words.
UsageMost often in purple prose. It is a criticism, not praise.
Similarflorid, flowery, ornate, overwrought, flamboyant
Oppositeplain, spare, understated, restrained
Note
- 6Connected with emperors and royal families.
Grovel on the earth: aye, hide / In the dust thy purple pride!
1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Lines Written among the Euganean Hills, October, 1818”Here, purple means royal, belonging to kings and emperors.Similarimperial, regal, royal, noble
Oppositehumble, common, plebeian
Note
- 7To turn purple, or to make something purple.
His face purpled as he lifted the heavy box.
Bruises purple before they fade to yellow and green.
UsagePeople usually say turn purple.
Note
- 8Describing a government formed by both social democratic and liberal parties together.
Like mixing red paint and blue paint to make purple: two sides joined into one.
The country was run by a purple government for nearly a decade.
Voters grew tired of the purple coalition's endless compromises.
UsageSay a purple coalition.
Note
- 9Dark red, like fresh blood.
Wars, horrid Wars I view; a field of Blood; / And Tyber rolling with a Purple Flood.
1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”Here, Purple means blood-red, full of blood.O may ſuch purple teares be alway ſhed
c. 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt,”Here, purple means blood-red, made of blood.Similarbloody, crimson, gory, bloodstained
Note
- 10To dress someone in purple clothing.
- 11Short for purple drank: a drink made by mixing codeine cough syrup with soda.
He poured himself a cup of purple at the party.
They sipped purple slowly while the music played.
Note
- 12A British drink made of lager, cider, and blackcurrant cordial.
He ordered a purple at the pub before the match.
At the student bar, she ordered a purple with extra blackcurrant.
UsageOrder a purple at the bar.
Note
- 13A kind of marijuana known for its purple color, or marijuana in general.
- 14Done in the fastest time so far during a race or practice session.
- 15A large butterfly with purple or blue markings on its wings.
- 16An illness that causes purple or red spots on the skin from bleeding under it.
- 17A sea snail whose body was used long ago to make a famous purple dye.
- 18Of teenagers, especially at church summer camps, to mix or flirt with the opposite sex.
- 19A disease that damages wheat, also called earcockle.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
The word came from Old English, which took it from Latin purpura, meaning purple dye. That came from Greek, and may have Semitic roots.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Purple derives from Old English. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English borrowed the ancestral word from Latin purpura. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin purpura means purple dye. en.wiktionary.org
- The Latin word came from Greek. en.wiktionary.org
- The word may ultimately have Semitic roots. en.wiktionary.org