From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Lilac \Li"lac\ (l[imac]"lak), n. [Also {lilach}.] [Sp. lilac,
lila, Ar. l[imac]lak, fr. Per. l[imac]laj, l[imac]lanj,
l[imac]lang, n[imac]laj, n[imac]l, the indigo plant, or from
the kindred l[imac]lak bluish, the flowers being named from
the color. Cf. {Anil}.]
1. (Bot.) A shrub of the genus {Syringa}. There are six
species, natives of Europe and Asia. {Syringa vulgaris},
the common lilac, and {Syringa Persica}, the Persian
lilac, are frequently cultivated for the fragrance and
beauty of their purplish or white flowers. In the British
colonies various other shrubs have this name.
[1913 Webster]
2. A light purplish color like that of the flower of the
purplish lilac.
[1913 Webster]
{California lilac} (Bot.), a low shrub with dense clusters of
purplish flowers ({Ceanothus thyrsiflorus}).
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
lilac
adj 1: of a pale purple color [syn: {lavender}, {lilac}, {lilac-
colored}]
n 1: any of various plants of the genus Syringa having large
panicles of usually fragrant flowers
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