Paarse

Paarse is a Dutch adjective that denotes the color purple. It is the attributive inflection of the base color term paars and is used before feminine singular nouns as well as in all plural forms. For example, een paarse jurk means a purple dress, while twee paarse jurken means two purple dresses. In predicative position, the color adjective usually appears as paars: De jurk is paars.

Etymology and form: The Dutch color term paars is historically tied to the broader color family that includes purple in other Germanic languages, and it shares roots with terms found in Romance languages such as purple and pourpre that derive from ancient dye traditions like Tyrian purple. The form paarse arises from standard Dutch adjective agreement rules, where the ending -e is added when the adjective accompanies a feminine noun or appears in certain definite or plural contexts.

Usage and context: Paarse is common in everyday speech, writing, fashion, design, and media in the Netherlands and Flanders. It is typically used in attributive position (before the noun) to describe a purple item, as in paarse bloemen (purple flowers) or een paarse trui (a purple sweater). In contrast, when describing color in a predicative sentence, the form paars is normally used (De trui is paars). In other Dutch varieties, including some Afrikaans-influenced contexts, the exact inflection may vary, with Afrikaans tending to use a single form paars for the color.

See also: Color in Dutch, Dutch adjectives, Tyrian purple and the historical dye tradition.