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, 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.
   • 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:

     […] O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies, / But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first, / Copious I break, I break the sprigs from the bushes, / With loaded arms I come, pouring for you, / For you and the coffins all of you O death.

3. A pale purple color, the color of some lilac flowers.

   lilac:  

4. A cat having a lilac-colored (pale brown) coat.

Translations

shrub

• Albanian: jargavan (sq) f
• Arabic: لَيْلَك m (laylak)
• Armenian: յասաման (hy) (yasaman), եղրեւանի (hy) (eġrewani)
• Azerbaijani: yasəmən (az)
• Belarusian: бэз (be) m (bez)
• 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 (hu), orgonafa (hu)
• Icelandic: sýrena f
• Italian: lillà (it) m
• Japanese: ライラック (ja) (rairakku), リラ (rira), 紫丁香花 (murasakihashidoi)
• Kazakh: бөртегүл (börtegül), мамыргүл (mamyrgül)
• Latgalian: beseņš m, beseni m pl
• Latvian: ceriņš m, ceriņi pl
• Lithuanian: alyva f
• Macedonian: јоргован (mk) 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 (hu)
• Italian: lillà (it) m
• Japanese: ライラック (ja) (rairakku)
• Korean: 라일락 (ko) (raillak), 수수꽃다리 (susukkotdari), 리라꽃 (rirakkot)
• 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: yasəməni
• 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 (hu), halványlila (hu)
• Indonesian: lila (id)
• Interlingua: lilac
• Italian: lilla (it) n
• Japanese: 薄紫 (usumurasaki), 藤色 (fujiiro)
• 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.
2. Of a cat or its fur: having a pale brown colour, lighter than chocolate.

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 (hu), 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

terms derived from lilac

• Afghanistan lilac (Syringa afghanica)
• Australian lilac (Hardenbergia monophylla)
• California lilac (Ceanothus spp.)
• Cape lilac (Melia azedarach)
• Chinese lilac
• 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, Japan tree lilac, Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata)
• Korean lilac (Syringa patula)
• late lilac (Syringa villosa)
• lilac-crowned parrot (Amazona finschi)
• lilac daphne
• lilac kingfisher (Cittura cyanotis)
• lilac mildew (Microsphaera alni)
• lilac point
• 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.)

Descendants

• → Cornish: laylok
• → Irish: líológ
• → Manx: laylac
• → Scottish Gaelic: liagh
• → Welsh: leloc

See also

• syringa
• bunchflower
• Appendix:Colors

Anagrams

• Cilla, calli, calli-

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.lak/

Noun

lilac m (plural lilacs)

1. archaic form of lilas