Ecru is still defined by some dictionaries as the colour of unbleached linen, which it still is in French (hex code = #FEFEE0 ), but it is now used for a quite different, much darker color in English. Traditionally ecru was considered a shade of beige, but beginning in the 19th century it became more precisely defined as "a grayish yellow that is greener and paler than chamois or old ivory". Ecru comes from the French word écru for the color of unbleached linen, and the word means "raw, unbleached" in French. It has also been known as "the colour of silk". The normalized colour coordinates for ecru are identical to sand, which was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1627. See also Lists of colors References Bibliography Citations External links ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955) – "Color Sample of Ecru (colour sample #90)" Shades of brown