Tyrian purple

American  

noun

1. Also called Tyrian dye.  a highly prized crimson or purple dye of classical antiquity, originally obtained at great expense from a certain shellfish: later shown to be an indigo derivative and synthetically produced, and now replaced by other synthetic dyes.

2. a vivid, purplish red.

---

Tyrian purple British  

noun

1. a deep purple dye obtained from molluscs of the genus Murex and highly prized in antiquity

2. 1. a vivid purplish-red colour

   2. Sometimes shortened to: Tyrian.  ( as adjective )

      a Tyrian-purple robe

---

Etymology

Origin of Tyrian purple

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

By the 14th century, the secrets of Tyrian purple were lost, according to the University of Chicago Library’s 2007 exhibition “The Origins of Color.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 19, 2023

For the ancient Phoenicians, from modern-day Lebanon, the trade in Tyrian purple helped build a mercantile empire that established new colonies across the Mediterranean, including at Carthage, near modern Tunis, under the mythical Queen Dido.

From Reuters • Feb. 8, 2022

One gram of natural Tyrian purple pigment, for instance, takes 120 pounds of sea snails to create, so paint companies make a mixed, artificial hue instead.

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2021

Dyes, such as indigo and Tyrian purple, were extracted from plant and animal matter.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The deed that was done in Glencoe is familiar to us all, by a patch of Tyrian purple in the most splendid of our histories.

From Lectures on Modern history by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron