Khaki

Khaki ( /ˈkɑːkiː/, /ˈkækiː/, in Canada /ˈkɑrkiː/) is a color, a light shade of yellow-brown similar to tan or beige. Khaki is a loanword incorporated from Hindustani ख़ाकी and Urdu خاکی (both meaning "soil-colored") and is originally derived from the Persian: خاکی (khâk, literally meaning "soil"), which came to English from British India via the British Indian Army. It has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms, including camouflage. It has been used as a color name in English since 1848.

In Western fashion, it is a standard color for smart casual dress trousers for civilians.

However, the name is sometimes also used to describe a drab green color. In the mid-twentieth century as many Western militaries adopted an olive drab instead of the older, more brownish khaki, the two color names became associated with each other. In French, and German, for example, "khaki" refers to a much darker olive drab-style military green.