# purple

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɜː.pl̩/ · frequency rank #4,183

## Definitions
1. A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta.
2. Any non-spectral colour on the line of purples on a colour chromaticity diagram or a colour wheel between violet and red.
3. Cloth, or a garment, dyed a purple colour; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple robe or mantle worn by Ancient Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity.
4. Imperial power.
5. Any of various species of mollusks from which Tyrian purple dye was obtained, especially the common dog whelk.
6. The purple haze cultivar of cannabis in the kush family, either pure or mixed with others, or by extension any variety of smoked marijuana.
7. Purpura.
8. Earcockle, a disease of wheat.
9. Any of the species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis).
10. A cardinalate.
11. Ellipsis of purple drank.
12. Synonym of snakebite and black.

## Etymology
From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”, adjective), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”, noun), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish”), perhaps of Semitic origin. Doublet of purpura and purpure.
The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.

## Easily confused with
- **purse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purple-vs-purse)
- **pursue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purple-vs-pursue)
- **puzzle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purple-vs-puzzle)
- **purpose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purple-vs-purpose)
- **pure** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pure-vs-purple)
- **purge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purge-vs-purple)
- **people** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/people-vs-purple)
- **purely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purely-vs-purple)
- **parole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/parole-vs-purple)
- **Purdue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/purdue-vs-purple)
- **puddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/puddle-vs-purple)
- **pimple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pimple-vs-purple)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ppurple`, `pruple`, `puprle`, `purlpe`, `purpel`, `purplle`, `purpple`, `purrple`, `uprple`

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