greige

Meanings

1. Of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; unfinished.
2. Of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige.

1. A colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige, closely akin to taupe.
2. Clothing, textiles, etc., which have neither been bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; greige goods.

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, possibly from Vulgar Latin *gregius (as in lana *gregia (“untreated wool as obtained from the flock”)), from grex (“flock (of sheep, etc.)”), 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.