camouflage

Where does the word "camouflage" come from? It comes from Italian camuffare, passing through French before entering English (1917).

Camouflage’s story begins in Italian: camuffare meant “to disguise.” By 1800s, the word had taken hold in French as camoufler. From Parisian slang 'camoufler', to disguise; the French army formed the first camouflage unit in 1915. It reached English by 1917 as camouflage. Adopted during World War I for military concealment techniques. Today, camouflage means the disguising of military personnel or equipment to blend with surroundings.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval camuffare "to disguise", meaning "to disguise".
2. Stage 2 · French · 1800s camoufler "to disguise, to puff smoke in someone's face", from Parisian slang 'camoufler', to disguise; the French army formed the first camouflage unit in 1915.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1917 camouflage "disguise or concealment through coloring and pattern", adopted during World War I for military concealment techniques.