any of various shrubs belonging to the genus Syringa, of the olive family, as S. vulgaris, having large clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers: the state flower of New Hampshire.
pale reddish purple.
adjective
having the color lilac.
Origin of lilac
1615–25; <Spanish <Arabic līlak<Persian, assimilated variant of nīlak bluish, equivalent to nīl blue, indigo (<Sanskrit nīla) + -ak suffix of appurtenance
Trim trousers in nubby shades of lilac were paired with jackets in iridescent hues of melon.
Paris Fall 2012 Fashion Week: Haider Ackermann, Lanvin, and Comme des Garçons|Robin Givhan|March 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One of these collaborations includes a lilac hourglass-shaped Tadashi gown in which Spencer collected her very first Golden Globe.
Octavia Spencer: Nominated for ‘The Help’ and Star of the Red Carpet|Justine Harman|February 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He'd broken the stick out of a lilac hedge a block from their house.
Danger Stalks Lucas Davenport|Daily Beast Promotions|May 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
"There is a whole other side to this island from the lilac fudge and the horses," she said.
The Boys on the Bus|Ben Crair|November 3, 2008|DAILY BEAST
As he looked he saw a figure suddenly appear from among the mass of lilac bushes that almost concealed the cabin.
The Courage of Captain Plum|James Oliver Curwood
Were she not dead I might stop at her little house in the fortifications among the lilac trees.
Memoirs of My Dead Life|George Moore
The corolla is lilac or bluish, often with a magenta tube and magenta "eye."
Field Book of Western Wild Flowers|Margaret Armstrong
It was a little dialogue between asters and sweet-peas, wild canaries in the lilac bush, and the guardian spirit of the garden.
Anne Of The Island|Lucy Maud Montgomery
Moonlight flooded the campus, and the air was sweet with the perfume of lilac and syringa.
Molly Brown's Freshman Days|Nell Speed
British Dictionary definitions for lilac
lilac
/ (ˈlaɪlək) /
noun
Also called: syringaany of various Eurasian oleaceous shrubs or small trees of the genus Syringa, esp S. vulgaris (common lilac) which has large sprays of purple or white fragrant flowers
French lilac another name for goat's-rue (def. 1)
a light or moderate purple colour, sometimes with a bluish or reddish tinge
(as adjective)a lilac carpet
Word Origin for lilac
C17: via French from Spanish, from Arabic līlak, changed from Persian nīlak bluish, from nīl blue