Purple Heart
Americannoun
noun
-
any of several tropical American leguminous trees of the genus Peltogyne
-
the decorative purple heartwood of any of these trees
-
informal a heart-shaped purple tablet consisting mainly of amphetamine
noun
Etymology
Origin of Purple Heart
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
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.
He gave out two Medals of Honor, a Purple Heart and a Presidential Medal of Freedom during his speech.
From Los Angeles Times
On the wall in my den are my father’s medals: a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star from when the United States sent my father, Marcelo Villanueva, and others like him, to fight Adolf Hitler.
From Los Angeles Times
Finally, I turn to the hallway cabinet where Tūtū keeps our family heirlooms: my great-grandpa’s Purple Heart, Dad’s high school diploma.
From Literature
He entered the Army’s 101st Airborne Division and earned a Purple Heart as one of the paratroopers who, at age 20, dropped into German-occupied France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
From Los Angeles Times
An aide then held up a tablet showing a Zoom connection with Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park in South Korea.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
