Sepia

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsiːpɪə/
• Rhymes: -iːpiÉ™

Origin

From Latin sepia, from Ancient Greek σηπία (sēpia, "cuttlefish").

Full definition of sepia

Noun

1. (archaic) The cuttlefish.
2. A dark brown pigment made from the secretions of the cuttlefish.
3. (colour) A dark, slightly reddish, brown colour.
4. A sepia-coloured drawing or photograph.

Adjective

1. (colour)  Of a dark reddish-brown colour.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 3, Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind.
• 1985 — Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, p 209Only now did he realise how few colours there had been at the end of the universe. The world had been sepia, drained of colour and light.

Related terms

• sepiolite

Anagrams

• Aspie, aspie, paise