I. ˈpər-pəl adjective
( pur·pler -p(ə-)lər ; pur·plest -p(ə-)ləst)
Etymology: Middle English purpel, alteration of purper, from Old English purpuran of purple, genitive of purpure purple color, from Latin purpura, from Greek porphyra
Date: before 12th century
1. : regal , imperial
2. : of the color purple
3.
a. : highly rhetorical : ornate
b. : marked by profanity
II. noun
Date: 15th century
1.
a.
(1) : cloth dyed purple
(2) : a garment of such color ; especially : a purple robe worn as an emblem of rank or authority
b.
(1) : Tyrian purple
(2) : any of various colors that fall about midway between red and blue in hue
c.
(1) : a mollusk (as of the genus Purpura ) yielding a purple dye and especially the Tyrian purple of ancient times
(2) : a pigment or dye that colors purple
2.
a. : imperial or regal rank or power
b. : high rank or station
III. verb
( pur·pled ; pur·pling -p(ə-)liŋ)
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
: to make purple
intransitive verb
: to become purple