Borrowed from Latin sēpia (“cuttlefish”), from Ancient Greek σηπία (sēpía). Cognate with Italian seppia, Portuguese siba, and Spanish sepia.
Meanings
Of a dark reddish-brown colour.
Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind. 1963, Margery Allingham, “Miss Thyrza’s Chair”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 41:
Only now did he realise how few colours there had been at the end of the universe. The world had been sepia, drained of colour and light. 1998 November 22, Lance Parkin, “Infinity and Beyond” (chapter 12), in The Infinity Doctors, BBC Books, →ISBN, page 209:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
most sepia
Degree=Sup
lexicographic
more sepia
Degree=Cmp
lexicographic
Translations (9)
ca sépia (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · pt sépia (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · bg се́пия (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · ja セピア色の (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · eo sepia (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · ro sepia (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · fr sépia (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · sv sepiafärgad (of a dark reddish-brown colour) · ca sèpia (of a dark reddish-brown colour)
Borrowed from Latin sēpia (“cuttlefish”), from Ancient Greek σηπία (sēpía). Cognate with Italian seppia, Portuguese siba, and Spanish sepia.
Meanings
(uncountable) A dark brown pigment made from the secretions of the cuttlefish.
Sepia had some use in ancient times as a writing ink, and in modern times has has occasionally been used as a pigment, but it never attained any popularity, as it is extremely fugitive. 1930, A[loys] Merz, M[orris] Rea Paul, “Sepia”, in “Notes on Color Names”, in A Dictionary of Color, New York City: McGraw-Hill, page 179:
(uncountable) A dark, slightly reddish, brown colour.
(broadly, countable) A sepia-coloured drawing or photograph.