anil

UK: /ˈænɪl/ US: (an′l)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

an•il  (an′l), n. 

1. Plant Biology a West Indian shrub, Indigofera suffruticosa, of the legume family, having elongated clusters of small, reddish-yellow flowers and yielding indigo.
2. indigo;
   deep blue.

• Sanskrit nīlī indigo (nīl(a) dark blue + -ī feminine noun, nominal suffix)
• Arabic an-nīl, equivalent. to al the + nīl indigo
• Portuguese
• 1575–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

anil / ˈænɪl/ noun

1. a leguminous shrub, Indigofera suffruticosa, of the Caribbean: a source of indigo
   Also called: indigo

Etymology: 16th Century: from Portuguese, from Arabic an-nīl, the indigo, from Sanskrit nīla dark blue