anil
[
an
-l]
/ˈæn l/
noun
1.
a West Indian shrub,
Indigofera suffruticosa,
of the legume family, having elongated clusters of small, reddish-yellow flowers and yielding indigo.
2.
indigo; deep blue.
Origin
1575-85;
<
Portuguese
<
Arabic
an-nīl,
equivalent to
al
the +
nīl
indigo <
Sanskrit
nīlī
indigo (
nīl
(
a
) dark blue +
-ī
feminine noun suffix)
British Dictionary definitions for
anil
anil
/
ˈænɪl
/
noun
1.
a leguminous West Indian shrub,
Indigofera suffruticosa:
a source of indigo
Also called
indigo
Word Origin
C16: from Portuguese, from Arabic
an-nīl,
the indigo, from Sanskrit
nīla
dark blue
Word Origin and History for
anil
n.
West Indian shrub, 1580s, from French or Portuguese
anil
(see
aniline
).