From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Lavender \Lav"en*der\, n. [OE. lavendre, F. lavande, It. lavanda
lavender, a washing, fr. L. lavare to wash; cf. It.
lsavendola, LL. lavendula. So called because it was used in
bathing and washing. See {Lave}. to wash, and cf.
{Lavender}.]
1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus {Lavandula}
({Lavandula vera}), common in the south of Europe. It
yields and oil used in medicine and perfumery. The {Spike
lavender} ({Lavandula Spica}) yields a coarser oil (oil of
spike), used in the arts.
[1913 Webster]
2. The pale, purplish color of lavender flowers, paler and
more delicate than lilac.
[1913 Webster]
{Lavender cotton} (Bot.), a low, twiggy, aromatic shrub
({Santolina Cham[ae]cyparissus}) of the Mediterranean
region, formerly used as a vermifuge, etc., and still used
to keep moths from wardrobes. Also called {ground
cypress}.
{Lavender water}, a perfume, toilet water, or shaving lotion
containing the essential oil of lavender, and sometimes
the essential oil of bergamot, and essence of ambergris.
{Sea lavender}. (Bot.) See {Marsh rosemary}.
{To lay in lavender}.
(a) To lay away, as clothing, with sprigs of lavender.
(b) To pawn. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster +PJC]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
lavender
adj 1: of a pale purple color [syn: {lavender}, {lilac}, {lilac-
colored}]
n 1: any of various Old World aromatic shrubs or subshrubs with
usually mauve or blue flowers; widely cultivated
2: a pale purple color
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