- Also called: syringa
any of various Eurasian oleaceous shrubs or small trees of the genus Syringa, esp S. vulgaris (common lilac) which has large sprays of purple or white fragrant flowers a light or moderate purple colour, sometimes with a bluish or reddish tinge (as adjective): a lilac carpet
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
li•lac /ˈlaɪlək, -lɑk, -læk/USA pronunciation
n.
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Plant Biologya shrub of the olive family, having large clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers: [uncountable]the smell of lilac.[countable]pruning the lilacs.
- [uncountable] pale reddish purple.
adj.
- having the color lilac.
li•lac
(lī′lək, -läk, -lak),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
- Plant Biologyany of various shrubs belonging to the genus Syringa, of the olive family, as S. vulgaris, having large clusters of fragrant purple or white flowers: the state flower of New Hampshire.
- pale reddish purple.
adj.
- having the color lilac.
- Sanskrit nīla) + -ak suffix of appurtenance
- Persian, assimilated variant of nīlak bluish, equivalent. to nīl blue, indigo (
- Arabic līlak
- Spanish
- 1615–25
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'lilac' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Arctic daisy
- Kenilworth ivy
- Persian lilac
- Point Reyes lilac
- Rouen lilac
- anemone
- baby primrose
- beach aster
- bird's-eye primrose
- blow
- butterfly bush
- calico clam
- chaparral lily
- chaste tree
- clary
- crown-of-jewels
- dwarf crested iris
- fairy primrose
- farewell-to-spring
- giant garlic
- horsemint
- kunzite
- lepidolite
- lilaceous
- nodding lilac
- oleaceous
- olive family
- paradise flower
- plantain lily
- pyrethrum
- royal lily
- sidalcea
- syringa
- ten-weeks stock
- terpineol
- thyrse
- vanda
- white Mariposa
- whitecup
- wild bergamot