Beige
/beɪʒ/noun
A pale brownish-yellow or grayish tan color.
Did you know?The English word beige comes through French from a term for the natural, untreated color of wool—so this “plain” shade was originally the color of cloth before it was dyed or transformed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeyǵ-
“to shine, shimmer; bright-colored”
Late Latin
Latin
badius
“bay-colored, reddish-brown”
Old French
Old French
bege
“undyed wool or natural wool color”
18th Century
French
beige
“the natural color of wool; a pale, light brown shade”
19th Century
English
beige
“a light grayish-brown color”