Camouflage
/ˈkæm.ə.flɑːʒ/noun
The use of concealment or disguise to make something blend in or remain unnoticed.
Did you know?Camouflage entered English from French *camoufler*, a slang verb meaning “to disguise” or “to smoke up,” and its modern sense was powerfully amplified by World War I deception tactics.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Italian
camuffare
“to disguise, to mask, to make up”
17th Century
French
camoufler
“to disguise or conceal, especially by smoke or trickery”
19th Century
French
camouflage
“disguise, concealment”
Early 20th Century
English
camouflage
“military concealment or disguise, especially by blending with surroundings”
Modern English
English
camouflage
“the act or result of concealing something by making it blend in”