khaki

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɑː.ki/, /ˈkæ.ki/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Hindi ख़ाकी (xākī, “dusty”) or Urdu khākī,^[2][3][4] from khāk “dust”,^[2][3][4][5] a word of Persian origin.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first named a dust-coloured cloth used for uniforms of British cavalry in India.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The cloth gave its name to the colour, a dull yellowish brown,^[2][5][4] and to uniforms and trousers made from it.^[4][5] It was widely adopted for camouflage in the Boer Wars, and once had overtones of militarism,^[3] as in the khaki election of 1900.^[6]

Timeline

• 1846 – introduced for the Guide Corps in India.^[3]
• 1857 – the cloth.^[3][6][4]
• 1863 – adjective.^[3][6]
• 1899 – a soldier in khaki.^[6]
• 1900 – khaki election and similar uses.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A light yellowish or olive brown colour.
2. A sturdy cloth of this colour, used especially for uniforms.
3. A uniform or trousers made of this cloth.

Adjective

1. Of the colour khaki, or made of khaki.

Word family

• khakilike

References

1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] [3] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press