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violet

1. (Science: botany) Any plant or flower of the genus viola, of many species. The violets are generally low, herbaceous plants, and the flowers of many of the species are blue, while others are white or yellow, or of several colours, as the pansy (Viola tricolour).

The cultivated sweet violet is viola odorata of Europe. The common blue violet of the eastern united states is V. Cucullata; the sand, or bird-foot, violet is V. Pedata.

2. The colour of a violet, or that part of the spectrum farthest from red. It is the most refrangible part of the spectrum.

3. In art, a colour produced by a combination of red and blue in equal proportions; a bluish purple colour.

4. (Science: zoology) Any one of numerous species of small violet-coloured butterflies belonging to Lycaena, or Rusticus, and allied genera. Corn violet. See Corn. Dame's violet.

(Science: botany) An aquatic European herb (Hottonia palustris) with pale purplish flowers and pinnatifid leaves.

Origin: F. Violette a violet (cf. Violet violet-coloured), dim. Of OF. Viole a violet, L. Viola; akin to Gr. Cf. Iodine.

Dark blue, inclining to red; bluish purple; having a colour produced by red and blue combined.

(Science: zoology) Violet shell, any species of ianthina; called also violet snail. See Lanthina. Violet wood, a name]] given to several kinds of hard purplish or reddish woods, as king wood, myall wood, and the wood of the andira violacea, a tree of Guiana.

Origin: Cf. F. Violet. See Violet.