LILAC DEFINITIONS - 8 definitions found
lilac adj 1: of a pale purple color [syn: lavender, lilac, lilac- colored}] n 1: any of various plants of the genus Syringa having large panicles of usually fragrant flowers lilac - lumdaq Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) lilac noun Etymology: obsolete French (now lilas), from Arabic līlak, from Persian nīlak bluish, from nīl blue, from Sanskrit nīla dark blue Date: 1625 1. a. a widely cultivated European shrub (Syringa vulgaris) of the olive family that has cordate ovate leaves and large panicles of fragrant pinkish-purple or white flowers b. a tree or shrub congeneric with the lilac 2. a variable color averaging a moderate purple Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary lilac (lilacs, or lilac) 1. A lilac or a lilac tree is a small tree which has sweet-smelling purple, pink, or white flowers in large, cone-shaped groups. Lilacs grew against the side wall. ...a twig of lilac. N-VAR • Lilacs are the flowers which grow on this tree. ...a vase of tulips, lilies, lilacs and primroses... Her hair smelt of lilac. N-VAR 2. Something that is lilac is pale pinkish-purple in colour. All shades of mauve, lilac, lavender and purple were fashionable. COLOUR English Explanatory Dictionary lilac ˈlaɪlək n. & adj. --n. 1 any shrub or small tree of the genus Syringa, esp. S. vulgaris with fragrant pale pinkish-violet or white blossoms. 2 a pale pinkish-violet colour. --adj. of this colour. [obs. F f. Sp. f. Arab. lilak f. Pers. lilak, var. of nilak bluish f. nil blue] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Lilac \Li"lac\ (l[imac]"lak), n. [Also lilach.] [Sp. lilac, lila, Ar. l[=i]lak, fr. Per. l[=i]laj, l[=i]lanj, l[=i]lang, n[=i]laj, n[=i]l, the indigo plant, or from the kindred l[=i]lak bluish, the flowers being named from the color. Cf. Anil.] 1. (Bot.) A shrub of the genus Syringa. There are six species, natives of Europe and Asia. Syringa vulgaris, the common lilac, and S. Persica, the Persian lilac, are frequently cultivated for the fragrance and beauty of their purplish or white flowers. In the British colonies various other shrubs have this name. 2. A light purplish color like that of the flower of the purplish lilac. California lilac (Bot.), a low shrub with dense clusters of purplish flowers ({Ceanothus thyrsiflorus}). |
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