noun
mauve
mohv
noun
1
A pale purple colour.
"She painted the bedroom walls a soft mauve."
adj
1
Having a pale purple colour.
"The bridesmaids wore mauve dresses."
How to Use Mauve
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pale, dusky shade of purple.
Common pairings
mauve dress
pale mauve
a shade of mauve
Word Forms
mauver comparative, more mauve comparative, mauves plural, mauvest superlative, most mauve superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “mauve”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She painted the bedroom walls a soft _____.
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.