greige

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English

WOTD – 18 September 2023

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“of silk: raw, unfinished; of the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, adjective), from Italian greggio (“raw, unrefined; unbleached”); further etymology uncertain,[1][2] possibly from Vulgar Latin *gregius (as in lana *gregia (“untreated wool as obtained from the flock”)), from grex (“flock (of sheep, etc.)”),[3] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“flock, herd; to gather”).

The noun is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“raw or unfinished silk; the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, noun), from Italian greggio: see above.

The spelling of the word is probably influenced by beige, likely because it was thought to be a blend of grey and beige.[1]

Pronunciation

Adjective

greige (not comparable)

  1. (textiles) Of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; unfinished.
    The rolls of greige cloth sat on the factory floor waiting to be printed.
  2. Of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige.
    • 2009 June 29, Caitlin Moran, “Sorry Star Wars fans, but Ghostbusters is the best film ever made”, in The Times‎, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-04-11:
      To those who still deludedly think they prefer Star Wars over Ghostbusters, all I need to ask you is this: you don't really want to be a Jedi, do you? In a greige cowl, getting off with your sister, without a single gag across three films?

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

greige (countable and uncountable, plural greiges)

  1. A colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige, closely akin to taupe.
    greige:  
    • 1943, S J Perelman, “Bend Down, Sister”, in The Dream Department, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →OCLC, page 74:
      Brilliant, sparkling reds will complement the bright, new beauty of Fall fashions and accent the subtle reserve of pale Priority beiges and greiges.
    • 1959, Paint, Oil and Chemical Review, volume 122, Chicago, Ill.: Trade Review Co., →OCLC, page 12, column 2:
      The rise of the neutral family of greige colors has put the decorating emphasis squarely on accents. The August issue of Better Homes & Gardens, for example, features an article showing which accents look best with greiges and other popular colors.
    • 2005 September, Lauri Ward, “Views on Retirement: Moving from Coast to Coast”, in Home Therapy: Fast, Easy, Affordable Makeovers (A Perigee Book), Perigee trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Group, published September 2006, →ISBN, page 256:
      To accessorize the server, we arranged a grouping of mahogany candlesticks in a variety of interesting shapes, a small greige-colored vase, and a platter that incorporates the colors of the candlesticks as well as the greige of the vase.
    • 2022 May 25, Elle Hunt, “It’s not beige, it’s not grey: it’s greige – and it’s why all our houses look the same”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-08:
      Canadian colour consultants The Paint People recently reached the same conclusion, declaring on YouTube “the death of greige: a paint colour category that has absolutely dominated interior design for well over a decade”.
  2. (textiles, archaic) Clothing, textiles, etc., which have neither been bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; greige goods.
    Synonyms: gray goods, grey goods

Alternative forms

Translations

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “greige, adj. and n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. ^ “greige, adj. and n.”, in Collins English Dictionary.
  3. ^ “greige, adj.”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.

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