Other Definitions
purple (dict)

Purple

Alternate uses: Purple (disambiguation)
Purple>
colspan="3" style="text-align:center;height: 100px;background-color:#660099;" |  
colspan="3" style="text-align:center;background-color:silver;" | Color Coordinates
colspan="2" | Hex triplet #660099
RGB (r, g, b) (102, 0, 153)
CMYK (c, m, y, k) (50, 153, 0, 102)
HSV (h, s, v) (280, 100, 60)
Purple is any of a group of colors intermediate between blue and red. On a chromaticity diagram, the straight line connecting the extreme spectral colors (red and violet) is known as the line of purples (or purple boundary); it represents one limit of human color perception. The color magenta used in the CMYK printing process is on the line of purples, but most people associate the term "purple" with a somewhat bluer shade.

Symbolism

Purple sometimes symbolizes royalty, dating back to Roman times, when clothing dyed with Tyrian purple was limited to the upper classes. The color, which was closer to crimson than our idea of purple, was the favored color of many kings and queens. Byzantine empresses gave birth in the Purple Chamber of the palace of the Byzantine Emperors. Thus being named Porphyrogenitus ("born to the purple") marked a dynastic emperor as opposed to a general who won the throne by his effort. Oddly, porpora or purpure was not one of the usual tinctures in European heraldry, being added at a late date to bring the number of tinctures plus metals to seven, so that they could be given planetary associations. the classic early example of purpure is in the coat of the Kingdom of Len: : argent, a lion purpure as early as 1245. In the 1800's William Perkins invented mauve, a shade of purple, from coal oil. It quickly became popular among all classes, and sparked major industrial development in the German chemical industry. In the United States military, purple refers to programs or assignments that are "joint", i.e. are not confined to a single service such as the Army or Navy but apply to the entire defense establishment. Assignment to one or more joint billets is required for promotion to flag rank (Rear Admiral and higher) in the U.S. Navy. Officers in joint billets are sometimes referred to as "wearing purple" (the phrase is purely metaphorical as there are no purple uniforms in the U.S. armed forces). Purple as one of the liturgical colours in Christian symbolism can express sorrow and mourning. Purple is also a symbol of womandom, feminism or lesbianism. It is often usen in women's spaces, e.g. as the colour of walls. In politics in the Netherlands, purple means a government coalition of right-liberals and socialists (symbolized by blue and red, respectively), as opposed to the more common coalitions of the Christian center-party with one of the other two. From 19942002 there have been two purple cabinets—see also Politics of the Netherlands and Paars (the Dutch word for "purple"). Purple is symbolic for courage.

See also

 

<< PreviousWord BrowserNext >>
valerian (plant)
la traviata
il trovatore
static equilibrium
ernani
don carlos
spacecraft
escape velocity
carmen
die meistersinger von nrnberg
die zauberflte
the barber of seville
la bohme
pietro mascagni
saverio mercadante
maison ikkoku
gaetano donizetti
oh 58 kiowa
giuseppe verdi compositions
ruggiero leoncavallo
francesco cilea
uh 60 black hawk
domenico cimarosa
giovanni pacini
giovanni paisiello
violet (color)
san antonio
unexpected hanging paradox
feldspar
best and worst cases
newcastle brown ale
united nations economic commission for europe
ece
european bank for reconstruction and development
yucatn
pliny
himalaya
stimson doctrine
ramen
pike
john maynard keynes
belarusians
millet
totnes