LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

purpura

purpura f (genitive purpurae)
Classical[ˈpʊr.pʊ.ra]Ecclesiastical[ˈpur.pu.ra]

Meaning

  1. femininethe purple-fish, a species of shellfish or mussel
    Purpurae vivunt annis plurimum septenis. latent sicut murices circa canis ortum tricenis diebus. congregantur verno tempore mutuoque attritu lentorem cuiusdam cerae salivant.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 9.60.125
  2. femininethe color magenta or purple, associated with nobility, power and thus, luxury (see for exemple Laticlave)
    Maior traditur mas [hedera] et corpore et folio, duriore etiam ac pinguiore et flore ad purpuram accedente;[…]77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 16.62.145
    namque uno ingentem tollit de caespite silvam, aureus ipse, sed in foliis, quae plurima circumc. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 4.273–275
  3. femininean insignia of this color, worn by the kings, high magistrates and finally, by the emperors
    […]: de hoc nihil cogitante, nihil suspicante, eisdem operis suffragium ferentibus, est rogatum ut sedens cum purpura et sceptro et illis insignibus regiis praeconi publico subiceretur, et imperante populo Romano, qui etiam bello victis regibus regna reddere consuevit, rex amicus nulla iniuria commemorata, nullis rebus repetitis, cum bonis omnibus publicaretur.56 BCE, Cicero, Pro Sestio 26
    fortunatus et ille deos qui nouit agrestis Panaque Siluanumque senem Nymphasque sorores. illum non populi fasces, non purpura regum flexit et infidos agitans discordia fratres,[…]c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 2.493–496
  4. femininea lofty station, high dignity
    Vestibus intactis Tarpeias itur in arces, et populus festo concolor ipse suo est, iamque novi praeeunt fasces, nova purpura fulget,8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 1.79–81
    Sicci sed plurima campi Tetrarchae regesque tenent magnique tyranni,61 CE – 65 CE, Lucanus, Pharsalia 7.228
  5. feminineany garment of this color, not necessarily precious
    Vestitus aspere nostra hac purpura plebeia ac paene fusca, capillo ita horrido ut Capua, in qua ipsa tum imaginis ornandae causa duumviratum gerebat, Seplasiam sublaturus videretur.56 BCE, Cicero, Pro Sestio 8.19
  6. feminineany precious, valuable object; luxury
    Istas magnas factiones, animos, dotes dapsiles, clamores, imperia, eburata vehicla, pallas, purpuram,c. 186 BCE, Plautus, Aulularia 2.1.48–50
    Tunc igitur pelles, nunc aurum et purpura curis exercent hominum vitam belloque fatigant;[…]c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 5.1423–1424

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepurpurapurpurae
genitivepurpuraepurpurārum
dativepurpuraepurpurīs
accusativepurpurampurpurās
ablativepurpurāpurpurīs
vocativepurpurapurpurae

purpŭra, ae, f. πορφύρα.
I. Lit., the purple-fish (cf.: bucinum, murex, ostrum), Plin. 9, 36, 60, § 125 sq.—
II. Transf., purple color, purple, Plin. 9, 37, 61, § 130: violae sublucet purpura nigrae, Verg. G. 4, 274: certantem uvam purpurae, Hor. Epod. 2, 20; Dig. 32, 68 fin.; also, a spurious purple color, prepared from berries (cf. Plin. 9, 41, 65, § 140), Plin. 16, 18, 31, § 77.—Like aurum, gemmae, etc., to designate any valuable object, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 128; Lucr. 5, 1423; Hor. C. 2, 16, 7: purpuram marinam, Vulg. 1 Macc. 4, 23.—
B. The purple, i. e. purple cloth, a purple garment: purpura plebeia ac paene fusca, Cic. Sest. 8, 19: usque ad talos demissa purpura, i. e. the praetexta, id. Clu. 40, 111; Quint. 1, 2, 6: lectus eburneus, auro ac purpurā stratus, Suet. Caes. 84.—Esp., of the purple garments worn by kings and magistrates: purpura Pompeium summi velabit honoris, Ov. P. 4, 4, 25: regum, Verg. G. 2, 495.—Cf. in plur.: purpurae Laconicae, Hor. C. 2, 18, 8; Quint. 8, 5, 28.—Hence,
2. Transf., a lofty station, high dignity: omnis Latio quae servit purpura ferro, i. e. all kings, Luc. 7, 228: purpuram sumere, i. e. the sovereignty, Eutr. 9, 8; Capitol. Max. 14: adorare purpuram, i. e. the emperor, Amm. 21, 9, 8; Cod. Th. 6, 24, 3; Cod. Just. 2, 8, 6; 12: septima purpura, the seventh consulate, Flor. 3, 21, 17: tertia Latios renovārat purpura fasces, Sil. 11, 112: jamque novi praeëunt fasces, nova purpura fulget, Ov. F. 1, 81.—
3. Of wine: purpura potabilis, Cassiod. Var. 12, 4.

Origins

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish; purple-dye; purple cloths”), whence English porphyry.

Elsewhere
  • Italianporpora
  • Catalanporprafrom Old Occitan porpra
  • Occitanporprafrom Old Occitan porpra
  • Catalanpúrpura
  • Englishpurpura
  • Frenchpurpura
  • Portuguesepúrpura
  • Romanianpurpură
  • Spanishpúrpura
  • Old Spanishpórpola
Old French
  • Frenchpourpre

In English words that came into English from purpura

  • purplepurpura
  • purpurepurpura
  • purpurapurpura
  • purpuritepurpura
  • purpurealpurpureus
  • purpuratepurpura
  • purpuricpurpura
  • purpuriferouspurpura
  • purpurogallinpurpura
  • purpuromycinpurpura
  • purpurizepurpura
  • purpuraceouspurpura
  • purpurescentpurpurascēns
  • purpurogenouspurpura

Quick answers

What does purpura mean in Latin?
purpura, a noun, means “the purple-fish, a species of shellfish or mussel; the color magenta or purple, associated with nobility, power and thus, luxury (see for exemple Laticlave); an insignia of this color, worn by the kings, high magistrates”.
What is the genitive of purpura?
The genitive singular is purpurae. purpura is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce purpura?
In classical Latin, [ˈpʊr.pʊ.ra]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈpur.pu.ra].
Which English words come from purpura?
English words that go back to Latin purpura include purple, purpure, purpura, purpurite, purpurate and purpuric.