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Where does the word "beige" come from? It comes from Old French bege, and was adopted directly into English (1850s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "beige" come from? It comes from Old French bege, and was adopted directly into English (1850s).
Beige’s story begins in Old French: bege meant “the color of undyed wool.” The natural, undyed color of raw wool. It reached English by 1850s as beige. First the colour of undyed, unbleached wool. Today, beige means a pale, sandy fawn color.
- Stage 1 · Old French · medieval bege "the color of undyed wool", the natural, undyed color of raw wool.
- Stage 2 · English · 1850s beige "a pale sandy-brown color", first the colour of undyed, unbleached wool.