lilac

lilac

English

Etymology

From obsolete French lilac (now lilas), from Arabic لِيلَك‎ (līlak).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪlək/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪlək/, /ˈlaɪlæk/, /ˈlaɪlɑk/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪlæk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪlək, -aɪlæk

Noun

lilac (plural lilacs)

1. A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers.
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326, page 168:

     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. (color) A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.

   lilac:  

Translations

shrub

Albanian: jargavan (sq) f Arabic: لَيْلَك‎ m (laylak) Armenian: յասաման (hy) (yasaman), եղրեւանի (hy) (ełrewani) Azerbaijani: yasəmən (az) Bulgarian: лю́ляк (bg) 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 (ka) (iasamani) German: Flieder (de) m, Fliederbusch (de) m, Fliederbaum m, Fliederstrauch m Greek: πασχαλιά (el) f (paschaliá) Hindi: बकायन (hi) f (bakāyan) Hungarian: orgona (hu), orgonabokor, orgonafa Icelandic: sýrena f Italian: lillà (it) 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 Lithuanian: alyva f Macedonian: јоргован m (jorgovan) Maori: rairaka Norwegian: Bokmål: syrin m Nynorsk: syrin m 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, љи́љак m (archaic) Roman: jorgovan (sh) m, ljíljak (sh) m (archaic) Slovak: orgován m Slovene: španski bezeg m Spanish: lila (es) f Swedish: syren (sv) c, syrenbuske c Tagalog: lila (tl) Turkish: leylak (tr) Ukrainian: бузо́к (uk) m (buzók) Urdu: بکاین‎ f (bakāyan) Volapük: süren (vo)

flower

Arabic: لَيْلَك‎ m (laylak) Armenian: յասաման (hy) (yasaman) Azerbaijani: yasəmən (az) Breton: lireu Bulgarian: лю́ляк (bg) 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 (ka) (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 (it) m Japanese: ライラック (ja) (rairakku) Korean: 라일락 (ko) (raillak) Latvian: ceriņš m, ceriņi pl Lithuanian: alyva f Low German: German Low German: sireen Manx: laylac Maori: rairaka Northern Sotho: perese 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

Azerbaijani: yasəmən (az) Bulgarian: лю́ляков (ljúljakov), лила́в (bg) (liláv) Catalan: lila (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 淡紫色 (dàn zǐsè) Danish: lilla (da) 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) Interlingua: lilac Italian: lilla (it) n Japanese: ライラック色 (rairakku-iro) Maori: rairaka Polish: barwa liliowa, lila (pl) f Portuguese: lilás (pt) m Romanian: violet (ro) n Russian: сире́невый (ru) (sirénevyj), лило́вый (ru) m (lilóvyj) Scottish Gaelic: liath-chòrcra f Spanish: lila (es) Turkish: eflatun (tr)

Adjective

lilac (comparative more lilac, superlative most lilac)

1. Having a pale purple colour.

Translations

colour

Arabic: لَيْلَكِيّ‎ (laylakiyy) Azerbaijani: yasəmən (az) Catalan: lila (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 淡紫色的 Dutch: lila (nl) Estonian: lilla (et) 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) Interlingua: lilac 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) Turkish: eflatun (tr) Ukrainian: бузко́вий (uk) (buzkóvyj)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Afghanistan lilac (Syringa afghanica)
• Australian lilac (Hardenbergia monophylla)
• California lilac (Ceanothus spp.)
• Cape lilac (Melia azedarach)
• common lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
• cutleaf lilac (Syringa laciniata)
• daphne lilac (Syringa microphylla)
• early lilac (Syringa oblata)
• French lilac (Syringa vulgaris, Galega officinalis)
• German lilac (Centranthus ruber)
• Himalayan lilac (Syringa emodi)
• Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea)
• hyacinth lilac (Syringa hyacinthiflora)
• Indian lilac (Melia azedarach)
• Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata)
• Korean lilac (Syringa patula)
• late lilac (Syringa villosa)
• lilac-crowned parrot (Amazona finschi)
• lilac kingfisher (Cittura cyanotis)
• lilac mildew (Microsphaera alni)
• lilac vine (Hardenbergia violacea)
• lilacky
• littleleaf lilac (Syringa microphylla)
• mountain lilac (Ceanothus spp.)
• native lilac (Hardenbergia violacea)
• New Zealand lilac (Hebe hulkeana)
• nodding lilac (Syringa reflexa)
• Peking lilac (Syringa pekinensis)
• Persian lilac (Syringa persica, Melia azedarach)
• summer lilac (Buddleja davidii et al.)
• wild lilac (Ceanothus spp.)

See also

• syringa
• bunchflower
• Appendix:Colors

Anagrams

• Cilla, calli, calli-

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.lak/

Noun

lilac m (plural lilacs)

1. archaic form of lilas