English
purple
Purple comes from Latin purpura ‘purple dye, shellfish’, from Ancient Greek πορφύρω ‘(of waves) to heave, boil, surge up’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewh₁-1‘to boil’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύρω2porphúrō‘(of waves) to heave, boil, surge up’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύρα3porphúra‘purple-fish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpurpura3‘purple dye, shellfish’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150purpure3‘purple colour’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150purpul3
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500purple3
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592purple3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πορφύρω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πορφύρα, which cites Beekes
- 3 Wiktionary, English purple
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “O may ſuch purple teares be alway ſhed”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰrewh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πορφύρω‘to boil’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύρωWiktionary, Ancient Greek πορφύρα, which cites Beekesporphúrō‘(of waves) to heave, boil, surge up’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύραWiktionary, English purpleporphúra‘purple-fish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpurpuraWiktionary, English purple‘purple dye, shellfish’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150purpureWiktionary, English purple‘purple colour’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150purpulWiktionary, English purple
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500purpleWiktionary, English purple
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592purpleWiktionary, English purple. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “O may ſuch purple teares be alway ſhed”
The story
The sense of "imperial power" is from the wearing of the color purple by emperors and kings.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- ‘to boil’
brand, bread, burn, brew, broth, bourbon, brunt, bourne, brim, fervor, fervent, ferment, bren, effervescent, broil, briny, 40 more
through Ancient Greek πορφύρα ‘purple-fish’
through Latin purpura ‘purple dye, shellfish’
Today it means
noun A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “purple”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek πορφύρω, Ancient Greek πορφύρα. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- / purple