greige

The story

1. Italian · derived fromgreggio
2. Middle French · borrowed fromgrège“raw or unfinished silk; the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”
3. French · borrowed fromgrège
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂ger-“flock, herd; to gather”
5. Vulgar Latin · derived from*gregius
6. Italian · derived fromgreggio“raw, unrefined; unbleached”
7. Middle French · borrowed fromgrège“of silk: raw, unfinished; of the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”
8. French · borrowed fromgrège
9. English todaygreige

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.

Words from the same roots