violet

¹

[ vahy-uh-lit ]

noun

1. any chiefly low, stemless or leafy-stemmed plant of the genus Viola, having purple, blue, yellow, white, or variegated flowers. Compare violet family.
2. any such plant except the pansy and the viola.
3. the flower of any native, wild species of violet, as distinguished from the pansy: the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
4. any of various similar plants of other genera.
5. reddish-blue, a color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum from red, an effect of light with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers.

adjective

1. of the color violet; reddish-blue:

   violet hats.

Violet

²

[ vahy-uh-lit ]

noun

1. a female given name.

violet

/ ˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

1. any of various temperate perennial herbaceous plants of the violaceous genus Viola, such as V. odorata ( sweet (or garden ) violet ), typically having mauve or bluish flowers with irregular showy petals
2. any other plant of the genus Viola, such as the wild pansy
3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as the African violet
4. 1. any of a group of colours that vary in saturation but have the same purplish-blue hue. They lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to blue; approximate wavelength range 445–390 nanometres
   2. ( as adjective )

      a violet dress

5. a dye or pigment of or producing these colours
6. violet clothing

   dressed in violet

7. shrinking violet informal.
   a shy person

Derived Forms

• ˈviolet-ˌlike, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of violet¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French violete, equivalent to viole (from Latin viola violet) + -ete diminutive suffix; -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of violet¹

C14: from Old French violete a little violet, from viole, from Latin viola violet

Idioms and Phrases

see shrinking violet .

Example Sentences

They are hardy — any flower that grows next to a freeway ain’t no shrinking violet.

From Los Angeles Times

"I always thought he'd be a future champion, but I've really seen him change from that shrinking violet who first stepped into my office," Warren reflects.

From BBC

Cover the stores’ coffins in the faded iconography of their shopping bags: respectively, a spray of violets, brown and white stripes and a single red rose.

From New York Times

They will play in violet and black uniforms with a V-shaped logo — for Valkyries — that shows a Bay Bridge tower head-on, forming the shape of a sword.

From New York Times

“I used to come to the Huntington with my mother when I was a child. She loved to garden, especially African violets, and she passed that love of plants and nature on to me.”

From New York Times

More About Violet

violet flower

A violet is a flower known for its vibrant bluish-purple color (the basis of the name of the color violet).

The name violet can refer to any flower in the genus Viola, some of which are other colors (including blue, yellow, and white) or are variegated. The most well-known variety is called the common blue violet. The violet family contains many different species of plants, including trees and shrubs.

The violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. It’s also one of the February birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone).

Violets are often said to represent modesty. The idiom shrinking violet refers to someone who is shy or (overly) modest.

Example: For my birthday, my wife always gives me a bouquet of beautiful violets.

What color is violet?

The word violet is also commonly used as the name of a color—one like that of the flower. Violet is one of the colors of the rainbow—the visual spectrum of color—along with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo (violet is the V in the abbreviation ROYGBIV). Beyond violet on this spectrum is ultraviolet, which is not visible to the naked eye.

How is violet different from purple?

Although in casual use violet is often used to refer to a shade of purple (or vice versa), the word purple is more broad and can refer to any shade between red and blue. Generally speaking, violet is much more blue in hue; purple is more reddish.

Where does violet come from?

The first records of the word violet come from the 1300s. It ultimately comes from the Latin name for the flower, viola.

Wild violets can be perennial or annual, meaning some species may last only for a season while others may bloom year after year. Violets usually bloom in early spring.

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with violet? 

• viola
• violescent
• violet family
• shrinking violet

What are some words that often get used in discussing violet?

• purple
• flower
• blue
• rainbow
• spectrum

How is violet used in real life?

When people say violet, they are usually referring to the small purple flower or the purple color.

I didn’t even realize when I named my child Margeaux Violet that February’s birth flower is violets 😭❤️🥺

— ♏️Julie (@eilujwright) January 13, 2021

February violets…because flowers are beautiful.#inspiration pic.twitter.com/J6URnASZuC

— Lisa Medved (@LisaOz6) February 1, 2022

If your favorite color is violet, this might be your new favorite animal: Violet-backed Starling! It lives in open woodland and riverine habitats in parts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It mainly snacks on fruits and seeds, but will also munch on the occasional insect. pic.twitter.com/rQ1HY7zIzo

— American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) September 25, 2021

 

Try using violet!

True or False?

Violets are said to symbolize modesty.