Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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adj
Of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; unfinished.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: business, manufacturing, textiles
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige, closely akin to taupe.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Clothing, textiles, etc., which have neither been bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; greige goods.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
Topics: business, manufacturing, textiles
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: gray goods, grey goods
Antonyms: none provided
History
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.
Across languages
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.
