English
greige
Greige comes from French grège ‘of silk: raw’, and goes back to Italian greggio.
- Italianc. 1300–presentgreggio‘raw, unrefined’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600grège‘(adjective) of silk: raw, unfinished’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘of silk: raw’
- Englishearliest quotation 1943greige
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Italianc. 1300–presentgreggio‘raw, unrefined’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600grège‘(adjective) of silk: raw, unfinished’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘of silk: raw’
- Englishearliest quotation 1943greige
Earliest quotation: 1943, Sidney Joseph Perelman, Bend Down, Sister: “Brilliant, sparkling reds will complement the bright, new beauty…”
The story
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’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. The spelling of the word is probably influenced by beige, likely because it was thought to be a blend of grey and beige.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- ‘flock, herd’
gaon, agora, gaff, agon, panegyric, 8 more
through Vulgar Latin grex ‘flock’
aggregate, congregation, aggregation, egregious, congregate, gregarious, segregate, 6 more
Today it means
adj Of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; unfinished.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Italian greggio / greige