lavender

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: lav=en=der

CIDE DICTIONARY

lavender, n. [OE. lavendre, F. lavande, It. lavanda lavender, a washing, fr. L. lavare to wash; cf. It. lsavendola, LL. lavendula. So called because it was used in bathing and washing. See Lave. to wash, and cf. Lavender.].

•  An aromatic plant of the genus Lavandula (Lavandula vera), common in the south of Europe. It yields and oil used in medicine and perfumery. The Spike lavender (Lavandula Spica) yields a coarser oil (oil of spike), used in the arts.  [1913 Webster]
•  The pale, purplish color of lavender flowers, paler and more delicate than lilac.  [1913 Webster]

Lavender cotton (Bot.), a low, twiggy, aromatic shrub (Santolina Chamæcyparissus) of the Mediterranean region, formerly used as a vermifuge, etc., and still used to keep moths from wardrobes. Also called ground cypress. -- Lavender water, a perfume, toilet water, or shaving lotion containing the essential oil of lavender, and sometimes the essential oil of bergamot, and essence of ambergris. -- Sea lavender. (Bot.) See Marsh rosemary. -- To lay in lavender. (a) To lay away, as clothing, with sprigs of lavender. (b) To pawn. [Obs.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

lavender, n. & v.
--n.
1 a any small evergreen shrub of the genus Lavandula, with narrow leaves and blue, purple, or pink aromatic flowers. b its flowers and stalks dried and used to scent linen, clothes, etc.
2 a pale blue colour with a trace of red.
--v.tr. put lavender among (linen etc.).

Idiom

lavender-water a perfume made from distilled lavender, alcohol, and ambergris.

Etymology

ME f. AF lavendre, ult. f. med.L lavandula

THESAURUS

lavender

amethystine, lilac, livid, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, pansy-purple, plum-colored, plum-purple, purple, purplescent, purplish, purply, purpurate, purpure, purpureal, purpurean, purpureous, raisin-colored, violaceous, violet

ROGET THESAURUS

lavender

Purple

N purple, blue and red, bishop's purple, aniline dyes, gridelin, amethyst, purpure, heliotrope, lividness, lividity, purple, violet, ultraviolet, plum-colored, lavender, lilac, puce, mauve, livid.