mauve

/mɑv/

/mɔv/

Other forms: mauves

Mauve is a pale, grayish-purple color. Despite how people often pronounce it, mauve should rhyme with “stove.”

Mauve is a relative of purple, violet, or lilac. It shows up in sunsets, on colorful birds and flowers, and sometimes on bridesmaids’ dresses. Mauve is French for “mallow,” and was first used to describe a dye made from a mallow plant. Guess what color runs through the flowers of a mallow plant? That’s right — it’s mauve!

Definitions of mauve

1. noun

   a moderate purple
   type of:

   purple, purpleness

   a purple color or pigment
2. adjective

   of a pale to moderate greyish violet color
   synonyms:

   chromatic

   being, having, or characterized by hue