lavender (English)

Where does "lavender" come from?

The English adjective 'lavender' traces its roots through Middle English 'lavendre' and Anglo-Norman 'lavendre'[1][3], which derive from Medieval Latin 'lavendula'[1][3]. This Medieval Latin term likely connects to the Latin 'lividus', meaning 'bluish'[1], though its form was influenced by 'lavō', meaning 'to wash', because lavender was traditionally used in washing clothes[1].

Open questions

The connection between Medieval Latin lavendula and Latin lividus is uncertain, and the term may have been influenced by lavo due to washing practices. [1]
Latin liveo may derive from Proto-Italic and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning bluish, or it could alternatively be a back-formation from lividus. [2] [4]

Full etymology tree

lavender (English), 'Having a pale purple colour.'
- inherited lavendre (Middle English), 'lavender'
  - inherited lavendre (Anglo-Norman)
    - inherited lavendre (Old French), 'lavender (plant)'
      - inherited lavendula (Medieval Latin)
        derived lividus (Latin), 'leaden, bluish, blue'
        derived liveo (Latin), 'to be of a bluish color; to be livid'
        inherited (Proto-Italic)
        inherited *(s)lih₃-wó- (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *(s)leh₃y- (Proto-Indo-European), 'blueish'
        influenced by lavo (Latin), 'to wash, bathe'

Ancestors

lavendre (Middle English)
lividus (Latin)

Cognates and doublets

lavande (French)

Descendants and derived words

lavender ceiling (English)
lavender-collar (English)
lavender lad (English)
lavender linguistics (English)
lavender marriage (English)
lavender menace (English)
lavender scare (English)

Related words

Sources

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris