purple passage

purple passage
noun Etymology: translation of Latin pannus purpureus purple patch; from the traditional splendor of purple cloth as contrasted with plainer materials Date: 1895 1. a passage conspicuous for brilliance or effectiveness in a work that is dull, commonplace, or uninspired 2. chiefly British a piece of obtrusively ornate writing — called also purple patch

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • purple passage — noun a passage full of ornate and flowery language • Hypernyms: ↑passage …   Useful english dictionary

  • purple passage — Synonyms and related words: adornment, asiaticism, beauties, colors, colors of rhetoric, device, elegant variation, embellishment, embroidery, euphuism, figurative language, figurativeness, figure, figure of speech, fine writing, floridity,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • purple passage — noun an excessively ornate passage in a literary composition …   English new terms dictionary

  • (a) purple passage — a purple passage purple prose phrase a piece of writing that is written in a very emotional or complicated style Thesaurus: parts of pieces of writingmeronym documents and types of documenthyponym Main entry: purple …   Useful english dictionary

  • a purple passage — or purple prose a piece of writing that is written in a very emotional or complicated style …   English dictionary

  • purple patch — ► NOUN 1) informal a run of success or good luck. 2) a purple passage …   English terms dictionary

  • purple — n., adj., & v. n. 1 a colour intermediate between red and blue. 2 (in full Tyrian purple) a crimson dye obtained from some molluscs. 3 a purple robe, esp. as the dress of an emperor or senior magistrate. 4 the scarlet official dress of a cardinal …   Useful english dictionary

  • Purple — This article is about the color. For other uses, see Purple (disambiguation). Purple …   Wikipedia

  • purple — purpleness, n. /perr peuhl/, n., purpler, purplest, adj., v., purpled, purpling. n. 1. any color having components of both red and blue, such as lavender, esp. one deep in tone. 2. cloth or clothing of this hue, esp. as formerly worn… …   Universalium

  • purple — /ˈpɜpəl / (say perpuhl) noun 1. any colour having components of both red and blue, especially a dark shade of such a colour. 2. (historically) a shade of crimson obtained using a dye from a mollusc; associated with emperors, royalty, etc. 3.… …  

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