lilac
noun /ˈlaɪlək/
/ˈlaɪlək/
- [uncountable, countable] a bush or small tree with purple or white flowers with a sweet smell that grow closely together in the shape of a coneTopics Plants and treesc2
- [uncountable] a pale purple colourTopics Colours and Shapesc2
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from obsolete French, via Spanish and Arabic from Persian līlak, variant of nīlak ‘bluish’, from nīl ‘blue’.