purple

purple
\ \ [OE] Greek porphúrā, a word of Semitic origin, denoted a sort of shellfish from which a reddish dye was obtained (known as Tyrian purple, because it was produced around Tyre, in what is now Lebanon, it was highly prized in ancient times, and used for dyeing royal garments). It hence came to be used for the dye itself, and for cloth coloured with it, and it passed in this latter sense (with the particular connotation of ‘royal cloth’) via Latin purpura into Old English as purpura. Its derived adjective purpuran became purple by a process known as dissimilation, by which one of two similar speech sounds (here /r/) is altered.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Purple — Pur ple, n.; pl. {Purples}. [OE. purpre, pourpre, OF. purpre, porpre, pourpre, F. pourpre, L. purpura purple fish, purple dye, fr. Gr. ? the purple fish, a shell from the purple dye was obtained, purple dye; cf. ? dark (said of the sea), purple,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • PURPLE — Machine. PURPLE (deutsch wörtlich: violett, lila, purpur) war die amerikanische Codebezeichnung für eine Verschlüsselungsmaschine, die von den Japanern vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg konstruiert und für den diplomatischen Dienst eingesetzt wurde. Die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Purple — Pur ple, a. 1. Exhibiting or possessing the color called purple, much esteemed for its richness and beauty; of a deep red, or red and blue color; as, a purple robe. [1913 Webster] 2. Imperial; regal; so called from the color having been an emblem …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Purple-K — is a dry chemical fire suppression agent used in some dry powder fire extinguishers. It is the most effective dry chemical in fighting class B (flammable liquid) fires, and can be used against some energized electrical equipment fires (USA class… …   Wikipedia

  • purple — [pʉr′pəl] n. [ME purpel < OE (Northumbrian) purpl( e), dissimilated var. of WS purpur( e) < L purpura, purple < Gr porphyra, shellfish yielding purple dye] 1. a dark color that is a blend of red and blue 2. Now Rare a) deep crimson b)… …   English World dictionary

  • purple — O.E. purpul, dissimilation (first recorded in Northumbrian, in Lindisfarne gospel) from purpure purple garment, purpuren purple, from L. purpura purple dyed cloak, purple dye, also shellfish from which purple was made, from Gk. porphyra (Cf. e… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Purple — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para máquina de cifrado, véase PURPLE. Purple Álbum de Stone Temple Pilots Publicación 7 de junio de 1994 …   Wikipedia Español

  • purple — ► NOUN 1) a colour intermediate between red and blue. 2) (also Tyrian purple) a crimson dye obtained from some molluscs, used for robes worn by an emperor or senior magistrate in ancient Rome or Byzantium. 3) (the purple) the scarlet official… …   English terms dictionary

  • Purple — Album par Stone Temple Pilots Sortie 7 juin 1994 (US) Enregistrement 1993 1994 Durée 46:57 Genre Grunge …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Purple — Pur ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Purpled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Purpling}.] To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood. [1913 Webster] When morn Purples the east. Milton. [1913 Webster] Reclining soft in blissful… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • purplė — sf. M, LL259 žr. purplelis: Purplė maža kuo skirias nuo karvelio, nebent tik spalva Blv. Jeigu negalėtų aukauti avinėlio, paims dvi purpli ar du karveliu Blv …   Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language

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