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mauve

A colour of a delicate purple, violet, or lilac.

(Science: chemistry) Mauve aniline, a dyestuff produced artificially by the oxidation of commercial aniline, and the first discovered of the so-called coal-tar, or aniline, dyes. It consists of the sulphate of mauveine, and is a dark brown or bronze amorphous powder, which dissolves to a beatiful purple colour.

Synonym: aniline purple, violine, etc.

Origin: F, mallow, L. Malva. So named from the similarity of the colour to that of the petals of common mallow, Malva sylvestris. See Mallow.