sepia

American  

[see-pee-uh] / ˈsi pi ə /

noun

1. a brown pigment obtained from the inklike secretion of various cuttlefish and used with brush or pen in drawing.

2. a drawing made with this pigment.

3. a dark brown.

4. Photography. a print or photograph made in this color.

5. any of several cuttlefish of the genus Sepia, producing a dark fluid used naturally for defense and, by humans, in ink.

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adjective

1. of a brown, grayish brown, or olive brown similar to that of sepia ink.

sepia British  

/ ˈsiːpɪə /

noun

1. a dark reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish

2. any cuttlefish of the genus Sepia

3. a brownish tone imparted to a photograph, esp an early one such as a calotype. It can be produced by first bleaching a print (after fixing) and then immersing it for a short time in a solution of sodium sulphide or of alkaline thiourea

4. a brownish-grey to dark yellowish-brown colour

5. a drawing or photograph in sepia

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adjective

1. of the colour sepia or done in sepia

   a sepia print

Other Word Forms

• sepialike
  adjective
• sepic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sepia

1560–70; < Latin sēpia cuttlefish, its secretion < Greek sēpía; akin to sêpsis sepsis

Explanation

Sepia is a reddish-brown color, sometimes specifically made for artists from cuttlefish ink. The distinctly brown-tinted photographs of the 19th century are also described as sepia. In both Greek and Latin, sepia means "cuttlefish." The ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to take advantage of the fluid these fish release when they're startled — it was prized as a pigment for both writers and artists. The word itself came to be used for both the pigment and its red-brown color. Antique sepia-colored photographs are so well known and popular that many modern photographs are deliberately edited to appear sepia-toned.

Example Sentences

Ostrover hung a sepia photograph of his grandfather’s smoked-fish shop in Manhattan in the early 20th century.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

You know she’s the central character because she’s the one who gets all the flashbacks, rendered in the customary sepia tones, each introduced by a sort of heartbeat motif on the soundtrack.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025

Depictions of roses, a skull, a goat and a Santería evil eye dance around them, illuminated in sepia spotlights and looking like they could have come straight from a deck of tarot cards.

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2023

Mostly, Hynes called him O’Casey, but a few times she called him Sean, and the warmth of that familiarity melted away any sepia encrustation that has accumulated around his name.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2023

Across his brow a constellation of acne had a new-minted look, its garishness softened by the sepia light.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan