'purplish-blue' originates from the combination of 'purple' and 'blue', where 'purple' is derived from the Old English 'purpul', and 'blue' from the Old French 'bleu'.

'purpul' transformed into the modern English 'purple', and 'bleu' became 'blue', eventually combining to form 'purplish-blue'.

Initially, 'purple' and 'blue' were distinct colors, but over time, the combination 'purplish-blue' evolved to describe a specific shade between the two.