lilac

Where does the word "lilac" come from? It comes from Persian nilak, passing through Arabic and French before entering English (1620s).

Lilac’s story begins in Persian: nilak meant “bluish.” Bluish, from nil (indigo blue). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Arabic as lilak. Adapted from Persian describing the pale purple flowering shrub. From there it passed into French as lilac by 1600s. Carried into French for the flowering shrub and its color. It reached English by 1620s as lilac. Settled as the English word for the shrub and its pale purple color. Today, lilac means a pale purple color, or a flowering shrub of that color.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · ancient nilak "bluish", bluish, from nil (indigo blue).
2. Stage 2 · Arabic · medieval lilak "the pale purple flowering shrub", adapted from Persian describing the pale purple flowering shrub.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1600s lilac "the flowering shrub and its pale purple color", carried into French for the flowering shrub and its color.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1620s lilac "a pale purple color, or the flowering shrub", settled as the English word for the shrub and its pale purple color.