ecru

[ek-roo, ey-kroo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ecru ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

very light brown in color, as raw silk, unbleached linen, etc.

noun

an ecru color.

RELATED WORDS

tan, beige

Also é·cru

[French ey-kry] /French eɪˈkrü/.

Origin of ecru

1865–70; < French, equivalent to é- completely (< Latin ex- ex-¹) + cru raw (< Latin crūdus; see crude)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ecru

Historical Examples of ecru

Over the back was an ecru antimacassar, tied with a pale-blue ribbon.
Mrs. Bindle
Hebert Jenkins
In giving a brownish hue to such light colors as beige, ecru, etc., it is invaluable.
The Practical Ostrich Feather Dyer
Alexander Paul
And the curtains are just simple cotton voiles, ecru in the living and dining rooms, and white in the bedrooms.
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband
Louise Bennett Weaver
She wore a percale gown, ecru ground with bright figures, a rose-colored cravat and a bonnet laden with flowers.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
A nervous tug-of-war was taking place between her right and left hand, with a twisted-up pair of ecru gloves for the cable.
The Shadow
Arthur Stringer

British Dictionary definitions for ecru

ecru

noun

a greyish-yellow to a light greyish colour; the colour of unbleached linen

adjective

of the colour ecru

Word Origin for ecru

C19: from French, from é- (intensive) + cru raw, from Latin crūdus; see crude

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ecru

adj.

1869, from French écru "raw, unbleached," from Old French escru "raw, crude, rough" (13c.), from es- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + Latin crudus "raw" (see crude).