French word

mauve

Pronunciation

IPA/mov/

Meaning

  • adjectivelight purple

Example

Elle a acheté un chemisier mauve.

She bought a light purple blouse.

Illustration for mauve (light purple)

More examples

Elle porte une écharpe mauve aujourd'hui.

She is wearing a mauve scarf today.

Core concept

A soft, muted purple like the petal color of a mallow flower.

Common phrases

  • une écharpe mauve

    a mauve scarf

  • un sac mauve

    a mauve bag

  • un gilet mauve

    a mauve cardigan

Similar words

violet: A distinct purple shade blending blue and red.
parme: A pale purple shade with a slight gray cast.
lilas: A pale, reddish purple shade like lilac flowers.
lavande: A bright, pale purple shade like lavender flowers.

Definition in French

Se dit d'une teinte douce de violet, moins vive qu'un violet pur.

Word origin

French mauve comes through Old French from Latin malva, meaning 'mallow', and became a color name from the flower's associated soft purple.

Usage tips

  • As an adjective, mauve has one form for masculine and feminine nouns but takes -s in the plural: un chemisier mauve, des chemisiers mauves.

Related words

Word lists with this word