lilac

English

Etymology

From obsolete French lilac (now lilas), from Arabic لِيلَك‏ (līlak), from Persian نیلک‏ (nilak), from نیل‏ (nil, “dark blue”), ultimately from Sanskrit नीला (nīlā, “dark blue”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪlək/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪlək/, /ˈlaɪˌlæk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

lilac (plural lilacs)

1. A large shrub of the genus Syringa, bearing white, pale pink, or purple flowers.
   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter V, in The Younger Set (Project Gutenberg; EBook #14852), New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, published 1 February 2005 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 24962326:

     Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.

2. A flower of the lilac shrub.
3. A pale purple colour, the colour of some lilac flowers.

   lilac colour:

Translations

shrub

• Arabic: لَيْلَك‏‎ m (laylak)
• Armenian: յասաման (hy) (yasaman), եղրեւանի (ełrewani)
• Azeri: yasəmən (az)
• Bulgarian: лю́ляк m (ljúljak)
• Catalan: lila (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 丁香 (zh) (dīngxiāng)

• Czech: šeřík (cs) m
• Danish: syren c
• Dutch: sering (nl), seringen (nl) pl
• Finnish: syreeni (fi)
• French: lilas (fr) m
• Georgian: იასამანი (iasamani)
• German: Flieder (de) m, Fliederbusch m, Fliederbaum m, Fliederstrauch m
• Greek: πασχαλιά (el) f (paschaliá)
• Hindi: बकायन (hi) f (bakāyan)
• Hungarian: orgona (hu), orgonabokor, orgonafa
• Italian: lillà m

• Japanese: ライラック (ja) (rairakku), リラ (rira), 紫丁香花 (murasakihashidoi)
• Latgalian: beseņš m, beseni m pl
• Latvian: ceriņš m, ceriņi pl
• Persian: یاس شیروانی‏‎ (yâs-e širvâni)
• Polish: lilak (pl) m inan, bez (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: lilás (pt) m
• Romanian: liliac (ro) m
• Russian: сире́нь (ru) f (sirénʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јоргован m

  Roman: jorgovan (sh) m

• Slovak: orgován m
• Spanish: lila (es) f
• Swedish: syren (sv) c, syrenbuske c
• Tagalog: lila (tl)
• Turkish: leylak (tr)
• Urdu: بکاین‏‎ f (bakāyan)
• Volapük: süren (vo)

flower

• Arabic: لَيْلَك‏‎ m (laylak)
• Armenian: յասաման (hy) (yasaman)
• Azeri: yasəmən (az)
• Breton: lireu
• Bulgarian: лю́ляк m (ljúljak)
• Catalan: lila (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 丁香 (zh) (dīngxiāng)

• Cornish: laylok
• Czech: šeřík (cs) m
• Danish: syren
• Dutch: sering (nl)
• Faroese: sírena f
• Finnish: syreeninkukka
• French: lilas (fr) m
• Georgian: იასამანი (iasamani)
• German: Flieder (de) m, Zartlila n, Fliederblüte f
• Greek: πασχαλιά (el) f (paschaliá)
• Hindi: बकायन (hi) f (bakāyan)
• Hungarian: orgona (hu), orgonavirág
• Italian: lillà m
• Japanese: ライラック (ja) (rairakku)

• Korean: 라일락 (ko) (raillak)
• Manx: laylac
• Northern Sotho: perese
• Norwegian: syrin
• Persian: یاس شیروانی‏‎ (yâs-e širvâni)
• Polish: lilak (pl) m inan, bez (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: lilás (pt) m
• Romanian: liliac (ro) m
• Russian: сире́нь (ru) f (sirénʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јоргован m

  Roman: jorgovan (sh) m

• Spanish: lila (es) f
• Sranan Tongo: lila
• Swedish: syren (sv) c
• Tagalog: lila (tl)
• Tatar: шомырт (tt) (şomırt)
• Turkish: leylak (tr)
• Ukrainian: бузо́к (uk) m (buzók)
• Urdu: بکاین‏‎ f (bakāyan)
• West Frisian: nageltsjebeam

colour

• Azeri: yasəmən (az)
• Bulgarian: лю́ляков (ljúljakov), лила́в (bg) (liláv)
• Catalan: lila (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 淡紫色 (dàn zǐsè)

• Dutch: lila (nl)
• Finnish: liila (fi), violetti (fi)
• French: lilas (fr)
• Georgian: იასამნისფერი (iasamnisperi)
• German: Lila (de) n, Violett (de) n

• Hungarian: orgonalila, halványlila (hu)
• Italian: lilla (it) n
• Japanese: ライラック色 (rairakku-iro)
• Polish: barwa liliowa
• Portuguese: lilás (pt) m
• Romanian: violet (ro) n
• Russian: сире́невый (ru) (sirénevyj), лило́вый (ru) m (lilóvyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: liath-chòrcra f
• Spanish: lila (es)

Adjective

lilac (comparative more lilac, superlative most lilac)

1. (colour) having a pale purple colour.

Translations

colour

• Arabic: لَيْلَكِيّ‏‎ (laylakiyy)
• Azeri: yasəmən (az)
• Catalan: lila (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 淡紫色的

• Dutch: lila (nl)
• Estonian: lilla
• Finnish: liila (fi), violetti (fi)
• Georgian: იასამნისფერი (iasamnisperi)
• German: lila (de), lilafarbig, zartlila, violett (de), fliederfarben (de), fliederfarbig, fliederblau, lilafarben, veilchenfarben (de), veilchenfarbig (de), veilchenblau (de)

• Hungarian: orgonalila, halványlila (hu)
• Low German: lila, violett
• Portuguese: lilás (pt)
• Quechua: sañi
• Romanian: liliachiu (ro), lila (ro), violet (ro)
• Russian: сире́невый (ru) (sirénevyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: liath-chòrcra, liath-ghorm
• Swedish: lila (sv), gredelin (sv), violett (sv)
• Ukrainian: бузко́вий (uk) (buzkovyj)

See also

• syringa
• bunchflower
• Appendix:Colors

Derived terms

• lilacky

Anagrams

• Cilla, calli, calli-