The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as a "light purple or lavender colour", which is used for Durham (and Newcastle) academic hoods.

[12] Palatinate purple is also used as the name of some commercial products, including a photochromic dye from James Robinson Speciality Ingredients[13] and a lipstick from Focallure.

Mr Telfair, university tailor, afterwards produced a piece of a purple coat which had been worn by Bishop Van Mildert, and this colour was adopted for the MA hood.The Gentleman's Magazine, in an obituary in 1851 for Matthew Thompson, an artist and herald from Durham, stated that: So completely was he [Thompson] at home in matters of taste that, as report goes, he was the person who suggested the purple of the Palatinate for the lining of the master's hood, making it differ from those of Oxford and Cambridge by a most appropriate distinction.An account, written sometime between 1876 and 1896, of Van Mildert's ceremonial entry into County Durham upon his election as bishop in 1826, refers to him wearing "a coat and waistcoat of the Palatinate purple".

[18] In the mid-19th century, the university tailor referred to the colour used in the hoods as palatinate blue, despite it being "really a sort of purple".

"[22] Later in the same year, Durham University Rugby Football Club adopted "a palatinate purple jersey with a badge in scarlet" for the first team.

[27] The shade of purple used by Durham University in its corporate branding from 2019 is Pantone 255C with the digital translations: CMYK: 51, 91, 0, 34 and RGB: 104, 36, 109 (Hex: 68246D).

[28] Palatinate Blue, used in the Flag of County Durham is: Pantone number 286[30] (equivalent to CMYK: 100%, 66%, 0%, 34%; RGB: 0, 56, 168; Hex: 0038A8[31]).