What is "purple"

Purple \Pur"ple\, n.; pl. Purples. [OE. purpre, pourpre, OF. purpre, porpre, pourpre, F. pourpre, L. purpura purple fish, purple dye, fr. Gr. ? the purple fish, a shell from the purple dye was obtained, purple dye; cf. ? dark (said of the sea), purple, ? to grow dark (said of the sea), to be troubled; perh. akin to L. furere to rage, E. fury: cf. AS. purpure. Cf. Porphyry, Purpure.]

1. A color formed by, or resembling that formed by, a combination of the primary colors red and blue.

   Arraying with reflected purple and gold The clouds that on his western throne attend. -- Milton.

   Note: The ancient words which are translated purple are supposed to have been used for the color we call crimson. In the gradations of color as defined in art, purple is a mixture of red and blue. When red predominates it is called violet, and when blue predominates, hyacinth.

2. 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.

   Thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and purple, and scarlet.
   --Ex. xxvi. 1.

3. Hence: Imperial sovereignty; royal rank, dignity, or favor; loosely and colloquially, any exalted station; great wealth. ``He was born in the purple.''
   --Gibbon.

4. A cardinalate. See Cardinal.

5. (Zo["o]l.) Any species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus Basilarchia (formerly Limenitis) as, the banded purple ( Basilarchia arthemis). See Illust. under Ursula.

6. (Zo["o]l.) Any shell of the genus Purpura.

7. pl.(Med.) See Purpura.

8. pl. A disease of wheat. Same as Earcockle.

   Note: Purple is sometimes used in composition, esp. with participles forming words of obvious signification; as, purple-colored, purple-hued, purple-stained, purple-tinged, purple-tinted, and the like.

   French purple. (Chem.) Same as Cudbear.

   Purple of Cassius. See Cassius.

   Purple of mollusca (Zo["o]l.), a coloring matter derived from certain mollusks, which dyes wool, etc., of a purple or crimson color, and is supposed to be the substance of the famous Tyrian dye. It is obtained from Ianthina, and from several species of Purpura, and Murex.

   To be born in the purple, to be of princely birth; to be highborn.

Purple \Pur"ple\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Purpled; p. pr. & vb. n. Purpling.] To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood.

When morn Purples the east.
--Milton.

Reclining soft in blissful bowers, Purpled sweet with springing flowers. -- Fenton.

Purple \Pur"ple\, a.

1. 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.

2. Imperial; regal; -- so called from the color having been an emblem of imperial authority.

   Hide in the dust thy purple pride.
   --Shelley.

3. Blood-red; bloody.

   May such purple tears be alway shed.
   --Shak.

   I view a field of blood, And Tiber rolling with a purple blood.
   --Dryden.

   Purple bird (Zo["o]l.), the European purple gallinule. See under Gallinule.

   Purple copper ore. (Min.) See Bornite.

   Purple grackle (Zo["o]l.), the crow blackbird. See under Crow.

   Purple martin. See under Martin.

   Purple sandpiper. See under Sandpiper.

   Purple shell. See Ianthina.

c.1400, from purple (n.). Related: Purpled; purpling.

Old English purpul, dissimilation (first recorded in Northumbrian, in Lindisfarne gospel) of purpure "purple dye, a purple garment," purpuren (adj.) "purple," a borrowing by 9c. from Latin purpura "purple color, purple-dyed cloak, purple dye," also "shellfish from which purple was made," and "splendid attire generally," from Greek porphyra "purple dye, purple" (see porphyry), of uncertain origin, perhaps Semitic, originally the name for the shellfish (murex) from which it was obtained. Purpur continued as a parallel form until 15c., and through 19c. in heraldry. As a color name, attested from early 15c. Tyrian purple, produced around Tyre, was prized as dye for royal garments.\n

\nAlso the color of mourning or penitence (especially in royalty or clergy). Rhetorical for "splendid, gaudy" (of prose) from 1590s. Purple Heart, U.S. decoration for service members wounded in combat, instituted 1932; originally a cloth decoration begun by George Washington in 1782. Hendrix' Purple Haze (1967) is slang for "LSD." Purple finch so called from 1826; "the name is a misnomer, arising from the faulty coloring of a plate by Mark Catesby, 1731" [Century Dictionary] Also house finch, so called for its domesticity.

1. 1 Having a colour/color that is a dark blend of red and blue. 2 (label en US politics) Not predominantly red or blue, but having a mixture of Democrat and Republican support, as in ''purple state'', ''purple city''. 3 (label en in Netherlands and Belgium) Mixed between social democrats and liberals. 4 imperial; regal. 5 Blood-red; bloody. 6 (context of language English) Extravagantly ornate, like purple prose. n. 1 A colour/color that is a dark blend of red and blue; dark magenta. 2 Cloth, or a garment, dyed a purple colour; especially, a purple robe, worn as an emblem of rank or authority; specifically, the purple robe or mantle worn by Ancient Roman emperors as the emblem of imperial dignity. 3 (context by extension English) Imperial power, (non-gloss definition: because the colour purple was worn by emperors and kings). 4 Any of various species of mollusks from which Tyrian purple dye was obtained, especially the common dog whelk. 5 The purple haze cultivar of cannabis in the kush family, either pure or mixed with others, or by extension any variety of smoked marijuana. 6 (context medicine English) purpura 7 earcockle, a disease of wheat. 8 Any of the species of large butterflies, usually marked with purple or blue, of the genus ''Basilarchia'' (formerly ''Limenitis''). 9 A cardinalate. v

2. (context intransitive English) To turn purple in colour.

1. adj. of a color midway between red and blue [syn: violet, purplish]

2. excessively elaborate or showily expressed; "a writer of empurpled literature"; "many purple passages"; "speech embellished with classical quotations"; "an over-embellished story of the fish that got away" [syn: embellished, empurpled, over-embellished]

3. belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler; "golden age of imperial splendor"; "purple tyrant"; "regal attire"; "treated with royal acclaim"; "the royal carriage of a stag's head" [syn: imperial, majestic, regal, royal]

1. n. a chromatic color between red and blue [syn: purpleness, empurpled]

2. of imperial status; "he was born to the purple"

1. v. become purple

2. color purple [syn: empurple, purpurate]

Purple is a color intermediate between red and blue. It is similar to violet, but unlike violet, which is a spectral color with its own wavelength on the visible spectrum of light, purple is a composite color made by combining red and blue. According to surveys In Europe and the U.S., purple is the color most often associated with royalty, magic, mystery and piety. When combined with pink, it is associated with eroticism, femininity and seduction.

Purple was the color worn by Roman magistrates; it became the imperial color worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, and later by Roman Catholic bishops. Similarly in Japan, the color is traditionally associated with the Emperor and aristocracy.

"Purple" is the third release from Skin's second album Fake Chemical State. It has only been released on CD in The Netherlands but was set for release elsewhere in Europe later in 2006; however, the single release outside of the Netherlands never occurred. A download EP is available to most audiences. The CD single features live-acoustic tracks from a recent radio broadcast for 3FM in The Netherlands. The song was originally planned to contain much darker music, but was changed at the last moment. Skin has stated that it is her favourite song from Fake Chemical State, and it is a firm favourite amongst fans.

Purple is a common term in politics for governments or other political entities consisting of parties that have red and blue as their political colours. It is of particular note in two areas: in the politics of the Netherlands and Belgium and in the politics of the United States.

Purple is a French fashion, art and culture magazine founded in 1992.

"Purple" is the fourth single from War of Angels, and is the ninth single overall from rock ensemble Pop Evil. The video shares life on the road featuring videos from when the band was on tour. The song is described as a highly melodic ballad.

"Purple" is a single from New Zealand band Six60 released in 2015.

In the history of cryptography, or , codenamed Purple by the United States, was a diplomatic cryptographic machine used by the Japanese Foreign Office just before and during World War II. The machine was an electromechanical stepping-switch device.

The information gained from decryptions was eventually code-named Magic within the US government.

The codename "Purple" referred to binders used by US cryptanalysts for material produced by various systems; it replaced the Red machine used by the Japanese Foreign Office. The Japanese also used Coral and JADE stepping-switch systems.

Purple is the second studio album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on June 7, 1994 by Atlantic Records. The album, building off the foundations laid by the band's debut album Core, was a huge success for the band, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and remaining there for three weeks, eventually selling over six million copies. It spawned a number of successful singles — " Vasoline" and " Interstate Love Song" both topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and hit number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, while " Big Empty" also cracked the top ten on both charts. Lesser known album cuts " Pretty Penny" and " Unglued" were also released as promotional radio singles.

Purple is a color.

Purple may also refer to

• The purple economy, a part of the economy
• Purple (magazine), a French fashion, art and culture publication
• Purple (cipher machine), American codename of a Japanese cipher machine used before and during World War II
• Purple (government), a political term
• Purple Records, a record label
• Purple (album), by the Stone Temple Pilots
• Purple (Baroness album), by Baroness
• "Purple" (song), by Skin
• The Purple, a former nickname of Northwestern University athletic teams
• Purple prose, written prose that is overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery
• Purple software, an eroge brand
• Purple Mountain, on the eastern side of Nanjing, China
• Peri Urban Regions Platform Europe, a network of European regions
• Purple.com, a website founded in 1994.
• Norman H. Purple (1803-1863), an American jurist
• Purple Kush, a strain of Cannabis

Purple is the fourth studio album by sludge metal band Baroness. It was released 18 December 2015 through the band's newly founded label Abraxan Hymns. It is the first album to be released by the band following their involvement in the 2012 bus accident that left nine people injured; it is also the first album to feature new band members Nick Jost and Sebastian Thompson, playing bass/keyboards and drums respectively. The first single from the album, "Chlorine & Wine", was released on 28 August 2015. The second single from the album, "Shock Me," was released on 15 November 2015 and it reached #30 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the US. The album was included at number 23 on Rock Sounds top 50 releases of 2015 list and at number 7 on Rolling Stone's Best Metal Albums of 2015 list.