Beige
Encyclopedia
Beige may be described as an off tan color
or an extremely pale brown
color
.
The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric
left undyed in its natural color. It has since come to be used for a range of light tint
s chosen for their neutral or pale warm appearance.
Beginning in the 1920s, the meaning of the term beige expanded to the point where it is now also used not only for pale yellow colors, but also for a wide range of pale brown
shades, some of more notable of which are shown below.
It is notoriously difficult to produce in traditional offset CMYK printing due to the low levels of inks used on each plate; often it will print in purple or green and vary within a print run.
The first recorded use of beige as a color name in English was in 1887.
(derived from a sampling of the electromagnetic radiation
from 200,000 galaxies), given by a team of astronomers from Johns Hopkins University
.
In the 1960s the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) marketed desert sand colored telephones for offices and homes. However, they described the color as "beige". It is therefore common for many people to refer to the color desert sand as "beige".
Originally in the 19th century and up to at least 1930, the color ecru meant exactly the same color as beige (i.e. the pale cream color shown above as beige), and the word is often used to refer to such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state. Ecru comes from the French word écru, which means literally 'raw' or 'unbleached'.
Since at least the 1950s, however, the color ecru
has been regarded as a different color from beige, presumably in order to allow interior design
ers a wider palette of colors to choose from.
The source of this color is the following website: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of French beige (color sample #57)
Two other alternate names for this exact color are drab and sand dune, in use, respectively, since 1686 and 1925.
The first recorded use of mode beige as a color name in English
was in 1928.
, buff
, ecru
, tan
, and khaki
. Pale beige tinted with grey or pink is commonly called oyster.
The National Cricket Team of New Zealand has group of followers known as the Beige Brigade
.
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
or an extremely pale brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
.
The term originates from beige cloth, a cotton fabric
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
left undyed in its natural color. It has since come to be used for a range of light tint
Tint
In color theory, a tint is the mixture of a color with white.Tint may also refer to:* Tint control, an adjustment to correct for phase error in the picture color on a NTSC television set* Tint , an album by Merzbow...
s chosen for their neutral or pale warm appearance.
Beginning in the 1920s, the meaning of the term beige expanded to the point where it is now also used not only for pale yellow colors, but also for a wide range of pale brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
shades, some of more notable of which are shown below.
It is notoriously difficult to produce in traditional offset CMYK printing due to the low levels of inks used on each plate; often it will print in purple or green and vary within a print run.
Beige
The color beige is displayed at right.The first recorded use of beige as a color name in English was in 1887.
Cosmic latte
Cosmic latte is a name assigned in 2002 to the average color of the universeUniverse
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
(derived from a sampling of the electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...
from 200,000 galaxies), given by a team of astronomers from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
Beige and desert sand
The color desert sand is displayed at right. It may be regarded as a deep shade of beige. It is a pale tint of a color called desert. The color name "desert" was first used in 1920.Beige and ecru
The color ecru is displayed at right.Originally in the 19th century and up to at least 1930, the color ecru meant exactly the same color as beige (i.e. the pale cream color shown above as beige), and the word is often used to refer to such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state. Ecru comes from the French word écru, which means literally 'raw' or 'unbleached'.
Since at least the 1950s, however, the color ecru
Ecru (colour)
Ecru describes the shade greyish-pale yellow or a light greyish-yellowish brown. It is often used to describe such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state...
has been regarded as a different color from beige, presumably in order to allow interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
ers a wider palette of colors to choose from.
French beige
At right is displayed the color French beige. The first recorded use of French beige as a color name in English was in 1927.The source of this color is the following website: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of French beige (color sample #57)
Mode beige
Mode beige is a very dark shade of beige.Two other alternate names for this exact color are drab and sand dune, in use, respectively, since 1686 and 1925.
The first recorded use of mode beige as a color name in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
was in 1928.
Colors in the beige range
Related names used for colors in the beige range include creamCream (colour)
Cream is the colour of the cream produced by cattle grazing on natural pasture with plants rich in yellow carotenoid pigments, some of which are incorporated into the cream, to give a yellow tone to white. Cream is the pastel colour of yellow, much like as pink is to red. Cream is used as a skin...
, buff
Buff (colour)
Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather.Displayed on the right is the colour buff.EtymologyAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a colour was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat...
, ecru
Ecru (colour)
Ecru describes the shade greyish-pale yellow or a light greyish-yellowish brown. It is often used to describe such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state...
, tan
Tan (color)
Tan is a pale whiteish, tawny shade of white. The name is derived from tannum used in the tanning of leather.The first recorded use of tan as a shade name in English was in the year 1590....
, and khaki
Khaki (color)
The name of the color khaki coined in British India comes from the Hindustani language , meaning "dusty, dust covered or earth colored." It has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms, including camouflage...
. Pale beige tinted with grey or pink is commonly called oyster.
Beige in Sport
Notable sporting teams around the world have adopted beige as their club color. The Dan O'Connell Cricket Club (DOCCC) is the most notable example with the Beige Army gaining national recognition in Australia for support of the DOCCC.
The National Cricket Team of New Zealand has group of followers known as the Beige Brigade
Beige Brigade
The Beige Brigade is a group of colourful and passionate New Zealand sport fans who identify themselves by wearing beige colours. A version of this uniform was worn by the New Zealand limited overs cricket team during the 1980s .The Beige Brigade began in 1999...
.