- (a.) Exhibiting or possessing the color called purple, much esteemed for its richness and beauty; of a deep red or red and blue color; as, a purple robe.
- (n.) See Purpura.
- (a.) Imperial; regal; -- so called from the color having been an emblem of imperial authority.
- (n.) Any species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis) as, the banded purple (B. arthemis). See Illust. under Ursula.
- (n.) Hence: Imperial sovereignty; royal rank, dignity or favor; loosely and colloquially, any exalted station; great wealth.
- (n.) A color formed by or resembling that formed by, a combination of the primary colors red and blue.
- (n.) A disease of wheat. Same as Earcockle.
- (v.t.) To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood.
- (a.) Blood-red; bloody.
- (n.) Any shell of the genus Purpura.
- (n.) Cloth dyed a purple color or a garment of such color; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple rode or mantle worn by Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity; as, to put on the imperial purple.
- (n.) A cardinalate. See Cardinal.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). purple. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/purple/definitions/2051101 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "purple" http://smartdefine.org/purple/definitions/2051101 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, purple, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/purple/definitions/2051101>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "purple" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/purple/definitions/2051101> |