sepia

Where does the word "sepia" come from? It comes from Greek sepia, and was adopted directly into English (1820s).

Sepia’s story begins in Greek: sepia meant “the cuttlefish.” The cuttlefish, whose dark ink was used to make a rich brown pigment. It reached English by 1820s as sepia. Greek 'cuttlefish', whose ink gave the brown pigment; early photographs were toned sepia. Today, sepia means a reddish-brown color, especially associated with old photographs.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient sepia "the cuttlefish", the cuttlefish, whose dark ink was used to make a rich brown pigment.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1820s sepia "a reddish-brown pigment or tone", Greek 'cuttlefish', whose ink gave the brown pigment; early photographs were toned sepia.