English
camo
Camo comes from French camoufler ‘to camouflage’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcamoufler‘to camouflage’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcamouflage
- English1500–presentsame form
- Englishtodaycamo
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcamoufler‘to camouflage’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcamouflage
- English1500–presentsame form
- Englishtodaycamo
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- ‘to beat, pound, grind, mill’
miller, meal, mill, mule, mold, muller, mole, mould, bonanza, mullet, melatonin, mull, malleable, maelstrom, molar, martel, amalgam, moulin, moline, malm, amyl, 39 more
through Proto-Germanic *mildijaz ‘tender, soft’
through Medieval Latin muffula
Today it means
noun A pattern on clothing consisting of irregularly shaped patches that are either greenish/brownish, brownish/whitish, or bluish/whitish, as used by ground combat forces.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French camoufler / camo