rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymauvePale purple
adjective / noun

mauve

MOHV/məʊv/

A pale purple color.

The paint swatch shows mauve, matching the pale purple in the pot.

A broad swatch of pale, softly muted purple paint beside an open paint pot of the same color, making the color itself the dominant subject.
Etymology
mauveLatinmallow

Malva names the mallow plant, whose petals have purple markings. Their color supplied the name for a reddish-purple dye, connecting the flower to the pale purple now called mauve.

In context

British Library28:20
to some extent had been this rare luxurious color color that was really hard to produce. But in the 1960s, all kinds of purples or purple synthetic dyes appeared from mauve to magenta to Regina
The World According to Colour with James Fox

More examples

  • We paint the bedroom walls a soft shade of mauve.
  • The invitation combines mauve with cream and gold.
  • The paint chart includes several soft mauves.

Forms

mauve · mauves

Similar words

lavender
Usually a cooler pale purple with more blue.
lilac
Typically a lighter, brighter purple with less gray.