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mauve

The origin and history of mauve.

Etymology

From French mauve, "mallow" (the flower), named for the purple synthetic dye accidentally discovered in 1856 by chemist William Henry Perkin — the first artificial aniline dye.

Origin: French · First attested 1856

Class of 1856

mauve first entered the language around 1856. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 1856 →
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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.