khaki

• carky [19th century]

From Hindi–Urdu ख़ाकी / خاکی‎ (xākī), from Persian خاکی‎ (xâki, “dusty, earthy, earth-colored”)

• (General Australian, General New Zealand, UK) enPR: kä-k'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑː.ki/
• Rhymes: -ɑːki
• (Canada) enPR: kär-k'ē, kä-k'ē, kă-k'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɹ.ki/, /ˈkɑː.ki/, /ˈkæki/
• Rhymes: -ɑɹki
• (US) enPR: kă-k'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈkæ.ki/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æki

khaki (countable and uncountable, plural khakis)

1. A dull, yellowish-brown colour, the colour of dust.
   • 1899, Rudyard Kipling, The Absent-Minded Beggar

     When you've shouted "Rule Britannia", when you've sung "God Save The Queen",
     When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth;
     Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine
     For a gentleman in khaki ordered South?

   khaki (Pantone) colour:  

   khaki (HTML) colour:  

2. Khaki green, a dull green colour.
   • 1921, War work of the Bureau of Standards, no. 46, page 54.

     The English Government for a long time has used a type of pigmented dope cover, khaki colored by iron pigments and lampblack, which is called P. C. 10.

   • 2007, Yuji Matsuki, American Fighters Over Europe: Colors & Markings of USAAF Fighters in WWII, page 4, →ISBN.

     At the end of World War I, the U.S. Army Air Service painted everything khaki. This khaki was practically the same as British PC10 and can be considered the basis of the later olive drab color.

   • 2010, Martin Windrow, French Foreign Legion: Infantry and Cavalry since 1945, page 52, →ISBN.

     In these notes we have used the British rather than the US terms for colours: i.e. 'khaki' here means the drab brown - US 'olive drab' - used for woolen uniforms and 'khaki drill' for the pale yellowish tan - US 'khaki' - used for lightweight summer/tropical dress.

   • Op. cit., page 56

     The very loose seroual trousers were made in both sand-khaki drill, and in winter-weight khaki wool for wear with the M1946 battledress blouse.

   khaki green colour:  

3. A strong cloth of wool or cotton, often used for military or other uniforms.
4. (rare) A soldier wearing a khaki uniform.
5. (South Africa, derogatory, slang) A British person (from the colour of the uniform of British troops, originally in the Second Boer War; compare rooinek). (In this sense the plural generally is khakies.)
   • 1902 Philip Pienaar. With Steyn And De Wet METHUEN

     "Frank, it's a khaki," I whisper, "keep straight on."

6. Khaki clothing or uniform, commonly in the plural.

   he was dressed in khaki, he was wearing his khakies

   • 1915 Out West magazine[1]

     The porter in going through the rear coach, which was almost empty, noticed one of the occupants, a muscular, soldierly man in khakies to be apparently asleep in his seat.

khaki (comparative more khaki, superlative most khaki)

1. Dust-coloured; of the colour of dust.

• khaki-tile
• khaki green

• Appendix:Colors

From English khaki.

• IPA^(key): /ka.ki/

khaki (plural khakis)

1. (archaic) Alternative spelling of kaki

from English khaki.

khaki

1. being dust-coloured