/ ˈhiːliətrəʊp; NAmE -troʊp/ noun
1.
[ C , U ] a garden plant with pale purple flowers with a sweet smell
2.
[ U ] a pale purple colour
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English eliotropus (originally applied to various plants whose flowers turn towards the sun), via Latin from Greek hēliotropion plant turning its flowers to the sun, from hēlios sun + trepein to turn. The spelling was influenced by French héliotrope .