lavender (English)

Where does "lavender" come from?

The English noun 'lavender' traces its roots through Middle English 'lavendre'[1][3] and Anglo-Norman 'lavendre'[1], which derived from Medieval Latin 'lavendula'[1][3]. This Medieval Latin term likely connects to the Latin 'lividus', meaning 'bluish'[1]. The development was further influenced by the Latin 'lavō', meaning 'to wash'[1], reflecting the plant's historical use in washing clothes[1].

Open questions

• The derivation of Medieval Latin lavendula from Latin lividus is considered a possibility rather than a certainty. [1]

Full etymology tree

• lavender (English), 'Any of a group of European plants, genus, Lavandula, of the mint family.'
  • borrowed lavendre (Middle English), 'lavender'
    • inherited lavendre (Anglo-Norman)
      • inherited lavendula (Medieval Latin)
        • derived lividus (Latin), 'leaden, bluish, blue'
        • influenced by lavo (Latin), 'to wash, bathe'

Ancestors

• lavendre (Middle English)
• lividus (Latin)

Cognates and doublets

• lavande (French)

Descendants and derived words

• cotton lavender (English)
• desert lavender (English)
• English lavender (English)
• fernleaf lavender (English)
• French lavender (English)
• fringed lavender (English)
• lavender cotton (English)
• lavender foal syndrome (English)
• lavenderish (English)
• lavender thrift (English)
• lavender water (English)
• lavendery (English)

Related words

• purple (English)

Sources

1. lavender (English) - Wiktionary
2. lividus (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. lavendre (Middle English) - Wiktionary
4. liveo (Latin) - Wiktionary
5. lavo (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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