Mauve is often referred to as a shade of pink, however it is actually more closely associated with purple. It is considered to be between both colors on the color wheel. Mauve (/ ˈmoʊv / ⓘ MOHV; [2] / ˈmɔːv / ⓘ MAWV) is a pale purple color [3][4] named after the mallow flower (French: mauve).

Understanding the Context

The first use of the word mauve as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the Oxford English Dictionary, but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. The mauve color originates from the mallow flower, which in French is known as mauve. The flower and color can be described as a lighter shade of purple, with a bluish undertone. The meaning of MAUVE is a moderate purple, violet, or lilac color.

Key Insights

How to use mauve in a sentence. Mauve is technically purple, but there’s a reason it looks so close to pink — it’s essentially a very dilute magenta with added gray and blue. If you were to place it on the color wheel, it would sit roughly between a pale tint of magenta and a pale tint of violet. Mauve is a pale, bluish purple that sits between violet and pink in the color wheel. Its name comes from the French word “malva,” which means mallow flower.

Final Thoughts

Mauve is the color of the first mass-produced dye that English chemist William Perkin accidentally discovered in 1856. Designers are ditching white walls for mauve—a nostalgic ’80s shade making a stylish comeback as a warm, versatile neutral that instantly elevates any room.