NYT Dictionary

BEIGE

/ˈbæɪʒ/
NounAdjectiveBAYZHGrade 3

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Meaning

A colour, variously defined from a pale brown, to a yellow greyish off-white.

Etymology

Origin: Latin

Unadapted borrowing from French (dialectal) beige, from Old French bege (“color of undyed wool or cotton”), from an Alpine language (compare Franco-Provençal bézho, Romansch besch (“dull grey”)), from Vulgar Latin *bysseus (“cottony grey”) (compare French bis, Catalan bis, Italian bigio), from Late Latin byssus (“cotton”), from Ancient Greek βύσσος (bússos, “cotton homespun”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew/Aramaic בוץ (būṣ)). Doublet of bice.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

blandindistinctcolorlessdrabtediousecruaureateauricbrownbrownish

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 8 recorded puzzles:

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