Where does “beige” come from?
beige (Middle French) comes from Old French bege, from Vulgar Latin bysseus, from Latin byssus, from Ancient Greek βύσσος, from Hebrew בּוּץ — byssus.
Ancestry of “beige”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | bege | color of undyed wool or cotton |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | bysseus | cottony grey; cotton-coloured |
| 3 | Latin | byssus | byssus |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βύσσος | flax; linen; Levant cotton |
| 5 | Hebrew | בּוּץ | byssus |
Words derived from “beige”