violet: [14] Violet was borrowed from Old French violete, a diminutive form of viole ‘violet’. This in turn went back to Latin viola ‘violet’, itself acquired by English in the 15th century. The word probably originated in a pre-Indo- European Mediterranean language, which also produced Greek íon ‘violet’ (source of English iodine). Its primary application is as a plantname; its use as a colour term is a secondary application. => iodine[violet etymology, violet origin, 英语词源]