: any of a genus (Viola of the family Violaceae, the violet family) of chiefly herbs with alternate stipulate leaves and showy flowers in spring and often cleistogamous flowers in summer
especially: one with smaller usually solid-colored flowers as distinguished from the usually larger-flowered violas and pansies
b
: any of several plants of genera other than that of the violet compare dogtooth violet
2
: any of a group of colors of reddish-blue hue, low lightness, and medium saturation
Illustration of violet
violet 1a
Examples of violet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebIts spicy, woody fragrance profile includes an eclectic mix of juniper berries, saffron, and violet.—Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 26 Nov. 2023 Bright colors combinations like wine/blue violet and mezcal/sunset are irresistible – but there’s even more to love about this packable jacket than style alone.—Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2023 This unique scent from Byredo, which combines notes like bergamot, lemon, violet, and tobacco, fits the bill exactly.—Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2023 The violet, ivory, and army green colors are currently $47, marked down from $59.—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 12 Nov. 2023 Learn More › The rising sun sent shards of orange, violet, and red pastel light across the eastern sky on a morning muzzleloader deer hunt in the Sandhills of Nebraska.—Brad Fenson, Outdoor Life, 1 Nov. 2023 Next to his portrait were candles, incense, violet, and gold flowers.—Kyle Dillon Hertz, Men's Health, 29 Aug. 2023 The pattern of pansies, violets, and ranunculus created a dense bouquet of purples, pinks, yellows, and whites across her bust and waist, and slowly dissipated closer to the dress’s clean white hemline.—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2023 Humans perceive different types of light as colors: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.—Kate Larue, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'violet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, from viole "the violet flower" (going back to Latin viola "any of various spring flowers, as Viola odorata," derivative of a base vi- of Mediterranean substratal origin, as also Greek íon "the color violet") + -et-et entry 1
: any of a genus of mostly herbs that often produce showy fragrant flowers in the spring and small closed self-pollinated flowers without petals in the summer
b
: any of several plants of other genera compare dogtooth violet
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