Ecru
/ˈeɪ.kruː/noun
A pale grayish-yellow or light beige color.
Did you know?Ecru comes from French écru, meaning “raw” or “unbleached,” from the same root as Latin crudus, which gave English words tied to rawness and even cruelty.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
crudus
“raw, bloody, unripe, or uncooked”
Old French
Old French
escru / écru
“raw, rough, unbleached”
18th Century
French
écru
“the natural color of unbleached linen or silk”
19th Century
English
ecru
“a light yellowish-gray color name borrowed from French”
Modern English
English
ecru
“a pale grayish-yellow or light beige color”