violet
violet
(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
a 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
b (as adjective) ■ a violet dress
5 a dye or pigment of or producing these colours
6 violet clothing ■ dressed in violet
7 See
shrinking violet
[C14: from Old French violete a little violet, from viole, from Latin viola violet]
> ˈviolet-ˌlike
adjective
