purple
n. C / Un. a color that is a mix of red and blue. You often see it in flowers like lavender or in the clothes of kings and queens.
n. a secondary color located between red and blue on the visible spectrum. Historically associated with royalty and high status due to the rarity of the dyes used to produce it.
She chose a dark shade of purple for her bedroom walls.
The sunset turned the clouds a deep shade of purple as the light faded over the mountains.
In many ancient Mediterranean cultures, the production of purple was a strictly controlled industry because the pigment required thousands of sea snails to create a single garment.
From Middle English purple, purpel, from Old English purpul (“purple”, adjective), taken from Old English purpure (“purple colour”, noun), from Latin purpura (“purple dye, shellfish”), from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish”), perhaps of Semitic origin. Doublet of purpura and purpure. The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.
Uncountable when referring to the color in general; countable when referring to specific shades or varieties.