khaki

1. A light olive brown to moderate or light yellowish brown.
2. 1. A sturdy cloth of this color.
   2. khakis A uniform made of this cloth.

[Urdu khākī, dusty, from Persian, from khāk, dust, from Middle Persian.]

Khaki is an Anglicized transliteration of a Hindi adjective meaning ‘dusty’ or ‘dust-coloured’; it derives from the Persian noun transliterated as khāk, meaning ‘earth’ or ‘dust’. It entered English in 1857 as a descriptive word for the light drab or brown uniforms which appeared in elements of the British Indian army in the first half of the 19th century. Debate has ensued on the earliest date when khaki uniforms were worn (it was probably in the late 1840s), but they were certainly in common use during the Indian Mutiny. The recipe for the colour has also been a matter for debate and little consistency of shade seems to have been achieved much before the 1880s, by which time its use was established for British troops overseas. In 1902 a khaki service dress uniform for British troops in Europe was authorized and it had ousted scarlet full dress for other ranks, except musicians and the Household Brigade, by WW I. Although originally British, khaki uniforms were gradually adopted by most nations, initially for combat use and then for general use, but some countries, Germany—for instance—with its feldgrau, adopted other shades of drab cloth. In the British army, khaki uniforms exist in a variety of shades and cloth, pale khaki drill for wear in hot climates and dark khaki barathea for the service dress of Guards officers being two examples. As camouflage or disruptive pattern materials became usual for combat wear, so khaki—in many armies—has become the standard secondary dress worn on semi-formal occasions when smartness is required. Thus, from being one of the first camouflage shades to be worn in the field, khaki has become an acceptable dress for soldiers on non-combat duties at home.

Bibliography

• Mollo, John, Military Fashion (London, 1972)

— Stephen Wood

n. pl. khakis 1. a textile fabric of a dull brownish-yellow color, in particular a strong cotton fabric used in military clothing.

2. (khakis) clothing, especially pants, of this fabric and color.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Tutor's tip: The man in the "khaki" (a type of cloth) pants was a little too "cocky" (too sure of oneself) when he first tasted the "kaki" (a Japanese persimmon).

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

This article is about the fabric. For the colour, see Khaki (color). Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.

Khaki is a common color in military uniforms

Khaki color plastered home in a village of Pakistan

Khaki is a type of fabric or the colour of such fabric. The name comes from the Persian word khâk (dust/ashes) which came to English from British India, specifically via the British Indian Army. It is pronounced /ˈkɑːkiː/ in Britain; /ˈkækiː/ in the US; /ˈkɑrkiː/,^[1] /ˈkɑːkiː/, or, increasingly, /ˈkækiː/ in Canada) (in Persian: خاکی /xɒːˈkiː/.

Regardless of its precise etymology, "khaki" refers to the colour of uniforms introduced by the army regiments in the 1880s. More accurately, the correct shade of "khaki" is the colour of "Multani Mitti", meaning "the mud of Multan". Multan was a well known military cantonment of British India (now in Pakistan).

During the Second Boer War, the British forces became known as Khakis because of their uniforms.

In 1846 Sir Harry Lumsden raised a corps of Guides for frontier service from British Indian recruits at Peshawar. Regiments serving in the region had adopted properly dyed khaki uniforms for active service and summer dress. The original khaki fabric was a closely twilled cloth of linen or cotton. The British Army adopted khaki for the campaign dress in 1897, and it was used in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). A darker shade of khaki serge was adopted for home service dress in 1902.

The United States Army adopted khaki during the Spanish American War (1898). It has become de rigueur for military uniforms of militaries the world over (e.g., the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps), as well as the police forces of many South Asian countries and U.S. states and counties. It has also spread to civilian clothing, where "khakis" since the 1950s has meant tan cotton twill pants/trousers.

"Khaki" has also become a common slang term in the United States Navy that refers to chief petty officers and officers (who wear a khaki-colored uniform).

Today, civilian "khakis" come in all ranges of colors and the term refers more to the particular design or cut of the pants/trousers. In this context, "Khakis" have become popular as business casual pants/trousers, and includes other cuts and fabric types (such as chinos).

References

1. ^ The uniquely Canadian rhotic pronunciation rhymes with "malarkey". In The Canadian Dictionary (McClelland and Stewart, 1962), this pronunciation is cited solely and exclusively.

See also

• Khaki election
• Khaki drill
• Chino cloth
• Cargo pants
• Chino pants

External links

Look up khaki in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Origins of Khaki - The Khaki Cloth - Mangaloreans' Gift to the World
• What is khaki? - The story of the catechu's use as a dye for khaki clothing
• What is khaki? Rant and explanation of Military uniforms - A description and rant about US uniforms made in khaki, and the differences among them

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kaki, kakifarve

Nederlands (Dutch)
kaki, (mv) uniform van kaki

Français (French)
n. - kaki
adj. - kaki

Deutsch (German)
n. - Khaki
adj. - khakifarben

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χακί
adj. - (χρώματος) χακί

Italiano (Italian)
cachi

Português (Portuguese)
n., -
adj. - cáqui

Русский (Russian)
защитный цвет, военная форма

Español (Spanish)
n. - caqui, tela caqui
adj. - caqui, de color caqui

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kaki
adj. - kakifärgad

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
卡其色, 卡其色军服

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 卡其色, 卡其色軍服

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 카키색, 카키색 모직 옷감

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - カーキ色服地, カーキ色の軍服, カーキ色
adj. - カーキ色の, カーキ色布の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قماش كاكي, بدله عسكريه (صفه) لون أسمر ضارب الى الصفرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חאקי‬

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