# mauve

> English word · Noun · IPA /məʊv/ · frequency rank #41,244

## Definitions
1. A rich purple synthetic dye, which faded easily, briefly popular c. 1859‒1873 and now called mauveine.
2. A pale purple or violet colour, like the colour of the dye after it has faded.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French mauve (“mallow”), from Latin malva, which has a purple colour. Doublet of mallow. Coined in 1856 by the chemist William Henry Perkin, when he accidentally created the first aniline dye.

## Easily confused with
- **move** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-move)
- **mute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-mute)
- **maze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-maze)
- **muse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-muse)
- **mule** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-mule)
- **maybe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-maybe)
- **mouse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-mouse)
- **mayne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-mayne)
- **maven** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mauve-vs-maven)
- **Mau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mau-vs-mauve)
- **make** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/make-vs-mauve)
- **made** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/made-vs-mauve)
- **male** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/male-vs-mauve)
- **mate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mate-vs-mauve)
- **mare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mauve)
- **Maui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maui-vs-mauve)
- **mace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mace-vs-mauve)
- **mane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mane-vs-mauve)
- **mage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mage-vs-mauve)
- **Maud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maud-vs-mauve)

## Common misspellings (6)
`amuve`, `mauev`, `mauvve`, `mavue`, `mmauve`, `muave`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mauve