noun · countable / uncountable · rare

mauve

mauve · mauves

mauve, fliederfarben, blasslila, malvenfarben

A rich purple synthetic dye, which faded easily, briefly popular cA rich purple synthetic dye, which faded easily, briefly popular c. 1859‒1873 and now called mauveine.

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/məʊv/

» Heather flowers are usually mauve.

Meaning

2 senses

(countable, historical, uncountable)A rich purple synthetic dye, which faded easily, briefly popular c. 1859‒1873 and now called mauveine.
(countable, uncountable)A pale purple or violet colour, like the colour of the dye after it has faded.
fliederfarben, blasslila, mauve

More definitions

a moderate purple

Examples

3 sentences

Heather flowers are usually mauve.
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Mauve was initially called "Tyrian purple."
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Among the paintings of Claude Monet is one titled "Lilac Irises" and another called "Iris Mauve."
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Origin

Borrowed from French mauve (“mallow”), from Latin malva, which has a purple colour. Double

Borrowed from French mauve (“mallow”), from Latin malva, which has a purple colour. Doublet of mallow. Coined in 1856 by the chemist William Henry Perkin, when he accidentally created the first aniline dye.

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Forms

plural: mauves

Singular	mauve
Plural	mauves

regular

Word family

10 related words

Derivedmauvaniline mauve box mauveine mauvelous mauvely mauveness mauve stinger mauvine mauvish mauvy

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable