Violet is a color that sits between blue and purple, though many people simply call it purple. Think of the deep purple-blue shade you see in violets, the small flowers that bloom in spring, or the color at the very edge of a rainbow, just past blue.

The word also refers to those delicate wildflowers themselves. Violets grow low to the ground with heart-shaped leaves and five-petaled flowers. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wears a dress described as blue gingham in the movie, but in the original book, she picks wild violets in Kansas.

Scientists use violet to describe a specific wavelength of light, the shortest one humans can see. Beyond violet lies ultraviolet light, which we can't see at all but which gives sunburns and makes white clothes glow under black lights.

When someone describes another person as a shrinking violet, they mean someone extremely shy. The phrase comes from the violet flower's modest size and tendency to hide among leaves. A student who never raises their hand or speaks up in class might be called a shrinking violet, though this quality shouldn't be confused with thoughtfulness or preferring to observe before participating.