Something that is sepia is deep brown in colour, like the colour of very old photographs.
The walls are hung with sepia photographs of old school heroes.
sepia in British English
(ˈsiːpɪə)
noun
1.
a dark reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish
2.
any cuttlefish of the genus Sepia
3.
a brownish tone imparted to a photograph, esp an early one such as a calotype. It can be produced by first bleaching a print (after fixing) and then immersing it for a short time in a solution of sodium sulphide or of alkaline thiourea
4.
a brownish-grey to dark yellowish-brown colour
5.
a drawing or photograph in sepia
adjective
6. Also (rare): sepic
of the colour sepia or done in sepia
a sepia print
Word origin
C16: from Latin: a cuttlefish, from Greek; related to Greek sēpein to make rotten
sepia in American English
(ˈsipiə)
noun
1.
a dark-brown pigment prepared from the inky fluid secreted by cuttlefish
2.
a dark reddish-brown color
3.
a drawing or photographic print in this color
adjective
4.
of sepia
5.
dark reddish-brown
Word origin
ModL, name of a genus of cuttlefishes < L, the cuttlefish < Gr sēpia < sēpein, to cause to rot (from the inky fluid emitted), akin to sapros, rotten
Examples of 'sepia' in a sentence
sepia
The walls are hung with pioneer relics and sepia photos of monster reptile trophies.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The tone changes from sepia to lurid.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Largely he was happy in his perfectly toned sepia world.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It loomed large and sepia in old photographs.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
Far better to peer into the sepia photographs and imagine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She also makes great use of sepia, a colour she has discovered recently.
Improve Your Landscape Painting
Also available in sepia or grey, they can be customised.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I tell him about the sepia photograph.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Your little tribe matters more than anything: for years the rest of the world fades to sepia tones.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And the sepia portrait, taken in a shopping mall studio, could have saved his life.
The Sun (2013)
They want to send photos with a sepia tint or messages that self-destruct, but not all in one place.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And if you like sepia photographs, transfer your existing pictures into ill-fitting frames to allow the nicotine to seep behind the glass.