Drab
/dræb/noun
Dull, colorless, or lacking brightness or interest.
Did you know?The English color-sense of drab likely developed from the name of a coarse brown cloth, which is why the word feels so physically dull and lifeless today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰrebʰ-
“to drag, pull, or draw”
Old English
OE
dræf
“clothing or a garment”
Middle English
ME
drabbe
“a coarse brown cloth; later, a dull brownish color”
16th Century
English
drab
“coarse cloth; then a dull brown color or a dull person/thing”
Modern English
English
drab
“dull, colorless, or lacking brightness or interest”