Other forms: purples
Purple is the colour you get by mixing red and blue. Aubergines, lavender, a bad bruise on the second day.
Historically it meant power, because the dye was made from sea snails and cost more than gold, which is why Roman emperors wore it and why being born in the purple means born into royalty. It stayed on bishops and on medals. Writing has a term of criticism in purple prose, meaning writing so ornate that it draws attention to itself. As a verb it is rare, though a bruise can purple.
1nounpurpleThe colour between red and blue.
“The hills turned purple as the light went.”
2adjectivecolourOf that colour.
“She wore a long purple coat.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
Also accepted in games: violet
Old English
purpul — purple
Middle English
purple
English, today
purple
From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (“purple-fish”), perhaps of sem - origin. a doublet of purpura and purpure. The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA