: a widely cultivated European shrub (Syringa vulgaris) of the olive family that has cordate ovate leaves and large panicles of fragrant pinkish-purple or white flowers
b
: a tree or shrub congeneric with the lilac
2
: a variable color averaging a moderate purple
Illustration of lilac
lilac 1a
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Perfumed aromas of lilacs and mandarins and grapefruit.—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 Set among bluebells, peonies, lilacs and more, the Mother’s Day Celebration at Yellow Magnolia Café will have a three-course prix fixe meal available both Saturday, May 10, and Sunday, May 11, priced at $72 per adult and $23 per child younger than 12.—Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 7 May 2025 Spring flowering trees and shrubs such as lilacs and crabapples form their flower buds in late summer or fall before the plants go dormant for the winter.—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025 Vladimir Kanevsky looks over his porcelain sculpture of lilacs at the Frick Collection in Manhattan.—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lilac
Word History
Etymology
obsolete French (now lilas), from Arabic līlak, from Persian nīlak bluish, from nīl blue, from Sanskrit nīla dark blue
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