Lilac is a light shade of

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

representing the average color of most

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s. The colors of some lilac flowers may be equivalent to the colors shown below as ''pale lilac'', ''rich lilac'', or ''deep lilac''. However, there are other lilac flowers that are colored

red-violet Red-violet is a rich color of high medium saturation about 3/4 of the way between red and magenta, closer to magenta than to red. In American English, this color term is sometimes used in color theory as one of the purple colors—a non-Spectru ...

. The first recorded use of the term ''lilac'' as an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

color name was in 1775.

Variations

Pale lilac

Pale lilac or Pale lavender is the color represented as ''lilac'' in the ISCC-NBS color list. The source of this color is sample 209 in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955). Tetradenia_riparia_03

Bright lilac

The color bright lilac (displayed adjacent) is the color labeled ''lilac'' by

Crayola Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing and retail company specializing in list of art media, art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered ...

in 1994 as one of the colors in its Magic Scent specialty box of colors. Pseudomallada edwardsi AF 1

Rich lilac

Rich lilac, a rich tone of lilac labeled ''lilac'' at Pourpre.com (a popular

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

color list), is shown adjacent. Another name for this color is bright French lilac.

French lilac

The color French lilac is displayed adjacent. This color was formulated for use in

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

, where a medium dark violet color is desired. The first recorded use of ''French lilac'' as a color name in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

was in 1814. The normalized color coordinates for French lilac are identical to pomp and power, first recorded as a color name in English in 1950.

In nature

The

lilac-breasted roller The lilac-breasted roller (''Coracias caudatus'') is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and sav ...

is a member of the

roller Roller may refer to: Birds *Roller, a bird of the family Coraciidae * Roller (pigeon), a domesticated breed or variety of pigeon Devices * Roller, an element of a rolling-element bearing * Roller, used in rolling (metalworking) * Roller, in a ...

family of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s. It is widely distributed in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

and the southern

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

In culture

Lilac was a color associated with the final stages of

mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

in English and European cultures. Effect

lilac chaser The lilac chaser is a visual illusion, also known as the Pac-Man illusion. It consists of 12 lilac (or pink, rose, or magenta), blurred discs arranged in a circle (like the numbers on a clock), around a small black, central cross on a grey backgro ...

. Book and film ''

Lilac Ball ''Lilac Ball'' (or ''The Purple Ball''; ) is a 1988 Soviet science-fiction children's film starring Natalya Guseva as Alisa Selezneva, a character she had previously played in the TV miniseries '' Guest from the Future''. Plot Alisa Seleznyova, ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Color topics Shades of violet Shades of pink Purple