and homes. However, they described the color as "beige". It is therefore common for many people to refer to the color desert sand as "beige". Ecru Originally in the 19th century and up to at least 1930, the color ecru meant exactly the same color as beige (i.e. the pale cream color shown above as beige), and the word is often used to refer to such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state. Ecru comes from the French word , which means literally "raw" or "unbleached". Since at least the 1950s, however, the color ecru has been regarded as a different color from beige, presumably in order to allow interior designers a wider palette of colors to choose from. Khaki Khaki was designated in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the standard for color nomenclature before the introduction of computers. The first recorded use of khaki as a color name in English was in 1848. Light French beige Light French beige is the color called beige on the pourpre.com website, a color list widely popular in France. French beige The first recorded use of French beige as a color name in English was in 1927. The normalized color coordinates for French beige are identical to café au lait and Tuscan tan, which were first recorded as color names in English in 1839 and 1926, respectively. Mode beige Mode beige is a very dark shade of beige. The first recorded use of mode beige as a color name in English was in 1928. The normalized color coordinates for mode beige are identical to the color names drab, sand dune, and bistre brown, which were first recorded as color names in English, respectively, in 1686, 1925, and 1930. In nature Fish Beige catshark Mammal Beige rabbit Metaphor Beige is sometimes used as a metaphor for something which is bland, boring or conventional. In this sense, it is used in contradistinction to more vibrant and exciting (or more individual) colours. See also RAL 1001 Beige List of colors Off-white Drab (color) Beige box References External links