Buff (colour)
Encyclopedia
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.
Etymology
According 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 with a Buff-colour'd lining".
Buff is widespread in the animal
kingdom
. The word buff appears in the name of many species
with this colour, such as the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
, the Buff Orpington chicken
, Buff turkey
and the Buff-bellied Pipit
.
Clothing
Formal or informal waistcoat
s are often buff-coloured for day wear, and the traditional colour for formal dress boot
uppers is often described as buff.
Heraldry
The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry
has included buff as a tincture
(specifically as a metal) in some of its coats of arms. This is because buff is the traditional colour of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps
.
Military
Buff has good camouflage
qualities in the natural environment
in dry climates
where sand
and soil
are often buff-coloured. The American Continental Army
wore buff and blue uniforms.
Ships
The funnel
s of the White Star Line
, owner of the RMS Titanic, were buff with a black top.
Sports
The colours of athletic team uniforms at The George Washington University and Gallaudet University
in Washington, DC, Punahou School
located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Hamilton College in Clinton, NY are buff and blue
. In the cases of George Washington University and Hamilton College (the latter named for US founding father Alexander Hamilton), the schools' colours were selected in recognition of the blue and buff colours of the Continental Army
uniforms of the Revolutionary War (George Washington having been General of that army and Hamilton his Chief of Staff, and both having had a role in design of the uniforms). The Boston Celtics
of the National Basketball Association
also use this colour for their Saint Patrick's Day
jerseys.
Stationery
A buff envelope is an envelope
of this colour, used extensively in commercial mailings.
Universities
The colours of The George Washington University and Hamilton College are buff and blue, modelled on the military uniform of General George Washington
. Buff is one of the three colours of the Alpha Gamma Delta
Women's Fraternity as well as one of the two colours of The Delta Chi
Fraternity.
Vexillology
The flags of the United States states of Delaware
and New Jersey
, and a former flag of New York
, include the colour buff.
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
-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....
colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
.
Displayed on the right is the colour buff.
Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, buff as a descriptor of a colour was first used in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat with a Buff-colour'd lining".
Uses
BiologyBuff is widespread in the animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
kingdom
Kingdom (biology)
In biology, kingdom is a taxonomic rank, which is either the highest rank or in the more recent three-domain system, the rank below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla or divisions in botany...
. The word buff appears in the name of many species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
with this colour, such as the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
The Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites subruficollis, is a small shorebird. It is a calidrid sandpipers and currently considered to be the only member of the genus Tryngites. Indeed, it probably belongs in the genus Calidris itself, or more precisely with the small species thereof which should be...
, the Buff Orpington chicken
Orpington (chicken)
The Orpington is a breed of chicken named after Orpington, England, which was made famous in part by this breed. Belonging to the English class of chickens, it was bred to be an excellent layer with good meat quality...
, Buff turkey
Buff (turkey)
The Buff or Jersey Buff is a breed of domestic turkey named for its buff-colored plumage.-History:Accepted in to the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Association in 1874, the original strain of Buff turkey was used in the development of the Bourbon Red breed, but had died out entirely...
and the Buff-bellied Pipit
Buff-bellied Pipit
The Buff-bellied Pipit , or American Pipit as it is known in North America, is a small songbird found on both sides of the northern Pacific. It was first described by Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 Ornithologia Britannica...
.
Clothing
Formal or informal waistcoat
Waistcoat
A waistcoat or vest is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit.-Characteristics and use:...
s are often buff-coloured for day wear, and the traditional colour for formal dress boot
Dress boot
Dress boots are short leather boots worn by men. Built like dress shoes, but with uppers covering the ankle, versions of the boots are used as an alternative to these in bad weather or rough outdoor situation, and as a traditional option for day time formalwear....
uppers is often described as buff.
Heraldry
The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry
United States Army Institute of Heraldry
The United States Army Institute of Heraldry furnishes heraldic services to the Armed Forces and other United States government organizations, including the Executive Office of the President...
has included buff as a tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
(specifically as a metal) in some of its coats of arms. This is because buff is the traditional colour of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps
U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps
The United States Army Quartermaster Corps is a Sustainment branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Transportation Corps and the Ordnance Corps....
.
Military
Buff has good camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
qualities in the natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
in dry climates
Desert climate
A desert climate , also known as an arid climate, is a climate that does not meet the criteria to be classified as a polar climate, and in which precipitation is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or at most a very scanty scrub.An area that features this climate usually experiences less than...
where sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
are often buff-coloured. The American Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
wore buff and blue uniforms.
Ships
The funnel
Funnel (ship)
A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They can also be known in as stacks.-Purpose:...
s of the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
, owner of the RMS Titanic, were buff with a black top.
Sports
The colours of athletic team uniforms at The George Washington University and Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University is a federally-chartered university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, located in the District of Columbia, U.S...
in Washington, DC, Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Hamilton College in Clinton, NY are buff and blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
. In the cases of George Washington University and Hamilton College (the latter named for US founding father Alexander Hamilton), the schools' colours were selected in recognition of the blue and buff colours of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
uniforms of the Revolutionary War (George Washington having been General of that army and Hamilton his Chief of Staff, and both having had a role in design of the uniforms). The Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
also use this colour for their Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
jerseys.
Stationery
A buff envelope is an envelope
Envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
of this colour, used extensively in commercial mailings.
Universities
The colours of The George Washington University and Hamilton College are buff and blue, modelled on the military uniform of General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Buff is one of the three colours of the Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Gamma Delta is an international women's fraternity, who are mainly sluts, founded in 1904 at Syracuse University. The Fraternity promotes academic excellence, philanthropic giving, ongoing leadership and personal development, and a spirit of loving sisterhood. Also known as "Alpha Gam" and...
Women's Fraternity as well as one of the two colours of The Delta Chi
Delta Chi
Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...
Fraternity.
Vexillology
The flags of the United States states of Delaware
Flag of Delaware
The flag of the state of Delaware consists of a buff-colored diamond on a field of colonial blue, with the coat of arms of the state of Delaware inside the diamond. Below the diamond, the date December 7, 1787, declares the day on which Delaware became the first state to ratify the United States...
and New Jersey
Flag of New Jersey
The flag of the state of New Jersey includes the emblem from the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey on a buff-colored background. According to the minutes of the New Jersey General Assembly for March 11, 1896, the date in which the Assembly officially approved the flag as the state emblem, the...
, and a former flag of New York
Flag of New York
The flag of the state of New York is the state's coat of arms on a blue background. It depicts two supporters:* Left: Liberty, with the Revolutionary imagery of a Phrygian cap raised on a pole...
, include the colour buff.
See also
- BeigeBeigeBeige 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...
a similar colour - TanTan (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....
, a slightly darker, redder colour - List of colours