khaki

A dull dusty brown colour, or a yellow-brown. Khaki is often used in camouflage as it is close to the colour of dead leaves and dry earth. Safari suits are traditonally khaki. Some military uniforms and fatigues are khaki. Despite this, it is a pleasing and occasionally fashionable colour.

Khaki can also refer to cloth or clothes in this colour. See also khakis.

Oolong notes that khaki was originallly an Urdu word meaning dust-coloured. It came from Persian, from kak (with a long a) meaning dust.

Pronounced cacky in American English, and Kaa-key elsewhere, with variations on how Kaa-key is locally pronounced.

Kha"ki (kä"k&esl;), a. [Hind. khaki, lit., dusty, dust-colored, fr. Per. khak dust.]

Of a dull brownish yellow, or drab color; -- applied to cloth, originally to a stout brownish cotton cloth, used in making uniforms in the Anglo-Indian army. In the United States service the summer uniform of cotton is officially designated khaki; the winter uniform of wool, olive drab.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Kha"ki, n.

Any kind of khaki cloth; hence, a uniform of khaki or, rarely, a soldier clad in khaki. In the United States and British armies khaki or cloth of a very similar color is almost exclusively used for service in the field.

 

© Webster 1913.