ochre

Where does the word "ochre" come from? It comes from Greek okhra, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Ochre’s story begins in Greek: okhra meant “pale yellow.” Pale yellow, describing the earthy natural pigment. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as ocre. Carried through Latin into French pigment vocabulary. It reached English by 1300s as ochre. Settled as the English word for the natural earthy pigment. Today, ochre means a natural earthy pigment ranging from pale yellow to brownish orange.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient okhra "pale yellow", pale yellow, describing the earthy natural pigment.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval ocre "an earthy yellow-brown pigment", carried through Latin into French pigment vocabulary.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s ochre "a natural earthy pigment ranging from yellow to brown", settled as the English word for the natural earthy pigment.