Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beige” come from?

Beige comes from French dialectal beige, from Old French bege, from Vulgar Latin bysseus, from Latin byssus meaning fine linen, from Ancient Greek βύσσος, from Hebrew בּוּץ.

beige (English): A slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of...

Definitions

  1. A slightly yellowish gray colour, as that of...

Ancestry of “beige”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchbeigebeige
2Middle Frenchbeige—
3Old Frenchbegecolor of undyed wool or cotton
4Vulgar Latinbysseuscottony grey; cotton-coloured
5Latinbyssusbyssus
6Ancient Greekβύσσοςflax; linen; Levant cotton
7Hebrewבּוּץbyssus

Words derived from “beige”

  • beigey
  • beigeness
  • debeige
  • beigeist
Every word from Hebrew בּוּץ →