- Syringa vulgaris
- Lilac Li"lac (l[imac]"lak), n. [Also {lilach}.] [Sp. lilac,
lila, Ar. l[=i]lak, fr. Per. l[=i]laj, l[=i]lanj, l[=i]lang,
n[=i]laj, n[=i]l, the indigo plant, or from the kindred
l[=i]lak bluish, the flowers being named from the color. Cf.
{Anil}.]
1. (Bot.) A shrub of the genus {Syringa}. There are six
species, natives of Europe and Asia. {Syringa vulgaris},
the common lilac, and {Syringa Persica}, the Persian
lilac, are frequently cultivated for the fragrance and
beauty of their purplish or white flowers. In the British
colonies various other shrubs have this name.
[1913 Webster]
2. A light purplish color like that of the flower of the purplish lilac. [1913 Webster]
{California lilac} (Bot.), a low shrub with dense clusters of purplish flowers ({Ceanothus thyrsiflorus}). [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
