taupe

English

WOTD – 25 September 2008    

Etymology

From French taupe, from Latin talpa (“mole”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /təʊp/, X-SAMPA: /t@Up/
• (US) IPA: /toʊp/, X-SAMPA: /toUp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

taupe (plural taupes)

1. A dark brownish-grey colour, the colour of moleskin.

   taupe colour:

Translations

a dark brownish-gray colour

• Estonian: pruunikashall (et)
• Finnish: ruskeanharmaa (fi)

• Spanish: talpa (es)

Adjective

taupe (comparative more taupe, superlative most taupe)

1. Of a dark brownish-grey colour.
   • 1915, Ben Hecht, "Life", The Little Review, November,

     At five o'clock the patch of daylight above the red-lighted exit door turned taupe, as though a gray curtain had been flung across it; […]

   • 1952, Wallace Earle Stegner, "Pop Goes the Alley Cat", Harper's Magazine, February, pp. 42-52,

     In the front room, on an old taupe overstuffed sofa, the head of the house lay in a blanket bathrobe, […]

Translations

of a dark brownish-gray colour

• Estonian: pruunikashall (et)

• Finnish: ruskeanharmaa (fi)

See also

• Appendix:Colors

Anagrams

• eat up

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French

Etymology

Latin talpa.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /top/

• audio (CA)

  (file)

Noun

taupe f (plural taupes)

1. mole (burrowing mammal)
2. mole (undercover agent)
3. tunneler

Derived terms

• taupe-grillon
• taupicide
• taupier
• taupière
• taupinière

Adjective

taupe (masculine and feminine, plural taupes)

1. taupe

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Jèrriais

Etymology

Old French taupe.

Noun

taupe f (plural taupes)

1. mole (mammal)

Synonyms

• taupîn

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Old French

Noun

taupe f (oblique plural taupes, nominative singular taupe, nominative plural taupes)

1. mole (mammal)

Descendants

• French: taupe
• Jèrriais: taupe