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Tyrian

[ tir-ee-uhn ]

adjective

  1. of or relating to ancient Tyre or its people.
  2. of the color of Tyrian purple.


Tyrian

/ ˈtɪrɪən /

noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of ancient Tyre
  2. short for Tyrian purple
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of or relating to ancient Tyre
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Tyrian1

1505–15; < Latin Tyri ( us ) (< Greek Týrios, derivative of Týros Tyre ) + -an
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Example Sentences

The common name of the dyestuff, Tyrian purple, derives from the habitat of the mollusks, which the Phoenicians purportedly began harvesting in the 16th century B.C. in the city-state of Tyre in present-day Lebanon.

Ancient Tyrian purple, named for the town of Tyre in what is now southern Lebanon, was also rose, bluish red or velvety black, she writes.

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.”

“Couples are asking a lot from their guests both socially and professionally right now,” said Maya Jain, the owner of Tyrian Purple, a consulting firm for weddings and events in Manhattan.

Mouhamad Ghassen Nouira works from a hut in his garden to process murex snails using techniques first developed by the Phoenicians to produce a dye known as Tyrian purple that sells online for about $2,500 a gram.

From Reuters

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TyreeTyrian purple