lavender
Americannoun
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a pale bluish purple.
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any Old World plant or shrub belonging to the genus Lavandula, of the mint family, especially L. angustifolia, having spikes of fragrant, pale purple flowers.
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the dried flowers or other parts of this plant placed among linen, clothes, etc., for scent or as a preservative.
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Also called lavender water. toilet water, aftershave, or the like, made with a solution of oil of lavender.
adjective
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of the color lavender.
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Informal.
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of or relating to gay male sexual orientation.
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(of a man) gay or effeminate.
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noun
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any of various perennial shrubs or herbaceous plants of the genus Lavandula, esp L. vera, cultivated for its mauve or blue flowers and as the source of a fragrant oil ( oil of lavender ): family Lamiaceae (labiates) See also spike lavender Compare sea lavender
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the dried parts of L. vera, used to perfume clothes
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a pale or light bluish-purple to a very pale violet colour
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( as adjective )
lavender socks
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perfume scented with lavender
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informal (modifier) of or relating to homosexuality
lavender language
Etymology
Origin of lavender
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English lavendre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin lavendula, variant of livendula, nasalized variant (unrecorded) of lividula “a plant livid in color”; livid , -ule
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She had been spinning wool into a gentle shade of lavender, but as she spoke, the color deepened to a violent purple.
From Literature
As Jeremy slid into his chair, Specimen pointed to a square of lavender paper tucked under the corner of Jeremy's books.
From Literature
“I picked out this lavender color because it’s chill, it’s relaxing, it helps me settle in,” explained the 8-year-old — now the youngest individually named Grammy winner in history.
From Los Angeles Times
Speaking to reporters afterwards, she explained her purple outfit was inspired by her love of lavenders and the calmness they bring.
From BBC
Inside, it’s softly lit and smells like a combination of the lavender essential oil mixture we use on the bedding and something pungent and medicinal.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
