The adjective is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“of silk: raw, unfinished; of the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, adjective), from Italian greggio (“raw, unrefined; unbleached”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Vulgar Latin *gregius (as in lana *gregia (“untreated wool as obtained from the flock”)), from grex (“flock (of sheep, etc.)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“flock, herd; to gather”).
The noun is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“raw or unfinished silk; the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, noun), from Italian greggio: see above.
The spelling of the word is probably influenced by beige, likely because it was thought to be a blend of grey and beige.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; unfinished.
The rolls of greige cloth sat on the factory floor waiting to be printed.
(not-comparable) Of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige.
“There he was … juiceless, on a greige banquette, staring up at my perfect terrace.[…]” 2025 June 7, Rana Foroohar, quoting Evan Osnos, “The rich are very different”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8:
To those who still deludedly think they prefer Star Wars over Ghostbusters, all I need to ask you is this: you don't really want to be a Jedi, do you? In a greige cowl, getting off with your sister, without a single gag across three films? 2009 June 29, Caitlin Moran, “Sorry Star Wars fans, but Ghostbusters is the best film ever made”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2021:
fi harmaanruskea (of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige) · fr grège (of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige) · fr grège (of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed — see also unfinished) · sv greige (of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige) · fi raaka (of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed — see also unfinished) · nl greige (of a colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric, between grey and beige)
The adjective is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“of silk: raw, unfinished; of the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, adjective), from Italian greggio (“raw, unrefined; unbleached”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Vulgar Latin *gregius (as in lana *gregia (“untreated wool as obtained from the flock”)), from grex (“flock (of sheep, etc.)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“flock, herd; to gather”).
The noun is borrowed from French grège and Middle French grège (“raw or unfinished silk; the colour of such silk, greyish-beige”, noun), from Italian greggio: see above.
The spelling of the word is probably influenced by beige, likely because it was thought to be a blend of grey and beige.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige, closely akin to taupe.
To accessorize the server, we arranged a grouping of mahogany candlesticks in a variety of interesting shapes, a small greige-colored vase, and a platter that incorporates the colors of the candlesticks as well as the greige of the vase. 2005 September, Lauri Ward, “Views on Retirement: Moving from Coast to Coast”, in Home Therapy: Fast, Easy, Affordable Makeovers (A Perigee Book), Perigee trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Group, published September 2006, →ISBN, page 256:
Canadian colour consultants The Paint People recently reached the same conclusion, declaring on YouTube “the death of greige: a paint colour category that has absolutely dominated interior design for well over a decade”. 2022 May 25, Elle Hunt, “It’s not beige, it’s not grey: it’s greige – and it’s why all our houses look the same”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Sep 2023:
Brilliant, sparkling reds will complement the bright, new beauty of Fall fashions and accent the subtle reserve of pale Priority beiges and greiges. 1943, S[idney] J[oseph] Perelman, “Bend Down, Sister”, in The Dream Department, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →OCLC, page 74:
The rise of the neutral family of greige colors has put the decorating emphasis squarely on accents. The August issue of Better Homes & Gardens, for example, features an article showing which accents look best with greiges and other popular colors. 1959, Paint, Oil and Chemical Review, volume 122, Chicago, Ill.: Trade Review Co., →OCLC, page 12, column 2:
(archaic, countable, uncountable) Clothing, textiles, etc., which have neither been bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed; greige goods.
nl greige (colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige) · mk си́вобеж (colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige) · fi harmaanruskea (colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige) · fr grège (colour like that of unbleached or undyed fabric between grey and beige)