What is the difference between "violkolora" and "purpura"?

Question

The translation for purple is violkolora. However, the word purpura also exists. Does it refer to the same color, or is it more similar to the French "pourpre", which is more red?

Answer 1

They are definitely not the same, PIV defines purpura like this:

Havanta la koloron de la purpuro

PIV defines purpuro like this:

*purpur/o:

• 1 Violruĝa kolorilo, kiun la antikvuloj eltiris el konkoj de mureksoj k de parenca sp.: la Tira purpuro estis la plej ŝatata.
• 2 Ŝtofo, tinkturita per tiu kolorilo, k rigardata de la antikvuloj kiel apartaĵo de reĝoj, konsuloj ks, de la modernuloj kiel apartaĵo de la kardinaloj: delikata tolo k purpuro estas ŝiaj vestojX; naskita en la purpuro (de la reĝa familio); kiuj estis edukitaj sur purpuro, tiuj ruliĝas nun sur sterkoX; levi iun al la purpuro (kardinaligi).
• 3 ⚕ Purpurao.

The first definition is the one of the french pourpre, here is the definition from the Larousse:

Dérivé bromé de l'indigo, extrait du gastropode Murex brandaris, et qui servait dans l'Antiquité à teindre les tissus en rouge.

This is how pourpre (French) (purpura) looks like according to Google:

This is how purple (English) (violkolora) looks like according to Google:

Answer 2

Reta Vortaro has these definitions:

Violkoloro: Koloro de violo, meza inter bluo kaj ruĝo.

Translation:

Violkoloro: The color of a violet, midway between blue and red

and

Purpuro: Violruĝa koloro

Translation:

Purpuro: Violet-red color

So from that I gather that "purpuro" is more reddish, so if you see something that is a reddish purple, you'd say "tio estas purpura", and if you see something of a more bluish purple, you'd say "tio estas violkolora", and it appears that "violkolora" is not incorrect in either case.

Answer 3

There are few things worth remembering.

1. The basic word in Esperanto is viola (violkolora). So if the precise distinction isn't important, viola is the way to go.

2. In physics viola would refer to the colour of the light on the visible spectrum, as opposed to purpura, which is a mix between the violet light and red light.

3. For a quick distinction between the two I recommend this comparison: