ecru
1 of 2noun
ˈe-(ˌ)krü 
ˈā-(ˌ)krü
ˈā-(ˌ)krü : a pale or light grayish yellow or brown : beige sense 2
… the latest fashion dictate: Beige. From Calvin Klein to the Gap, fashion purveyors have flooded malls with ecru, khaki and cream …
Teri Agins
Teri Aginsecru
2 of 2adjective
: of the color ecru : of a color that is light grayish-yellowish brown : beige
ecru fabric
an ecru skirt
ecru walls
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Melissa Lee, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2020 Pieces come in a color palette of maroon, orange, and ecru and range in price from $40 to $250. cleveland, 14 Jan. 2020 The plates, cups, bowls, and pitcher use the same shade of ecru, but they’re illustrated with soft blue sketches of grass. Liz Stinson, Curbed, 16 Aug. 2019 Mix in different shades like ecru, alabaster, and ivory that will create a visual separation between your layers to amp up the visual interest. Lauren Hubbard, ELLE Decor, 1 May 2019 The pieces keep in a warm family of hues — terracotta, ecru and slate —and leverage timeless floral prints so nothing feels too trend-driven. Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Sep. 2018 Stacks of firewood echo the stairs’ rigid lines, and the hall is bare except for a collection of straw hats that Alegre’s girlfriend, Cristina Carulla, hung on an ecru plaster wall. Lauren Collins, New York Times, 11 May 2018 The ecru shade appears on the back pockets and waistband, while the legs are classic white—and totally opaque, for the record. Emily Farra, Vogue, 6 Apr. 2018 Two square inches is hardly enough to tell a room’s worth of difference between eggshell and ecru. Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 See More
Noun
Available in either pale pink or ecru, this roomy bag is large enough to house your daily essentials. Melissa Lee, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2020 Pieces come in a color palette of maroon, orange, and ecru and range in price from $40 to $250. cleveland, 14 Jan. 2020 The plates, cups, bowls, and pitcher use the same shade of ecru, but they’re illustrated with soft blue sketches of grass. Liz Stinson, Curbed, 16 Aug. 2019 Mix in different shades like ecru, alabaster, and ivory that will create a visual separation between your layers to amp up the visual interest. Lauren Hubbard, ELLE Decor, 1 May 2019 The pieces keep in a warm family of hues — terracotta, ecru and slate —and leverage timeless floral prints so nothing feels too trend-driven. Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Sep. 2018 Stacks of firewood echo the stairs’ rigid lines, and the hall is bare except for a collection of straw hats that Alegre’s girlfriend, Cristina Carulla, hung on an ecru plaster wall. Lauren Collins, New York Times, 11 May 2018 The ecru shade appears on the back pockets and waistband, while the legs are classic white—and totally opaque, for the record. Emily Farra, Vogue, 6 Apr. 2018 Two square inches is hardly enough to tell a room’s worth of difference between eggshell and ecru. Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
French écru, literally, unbleached, raw, from Old French escru, from es- completely (from Latin ex-) + cru raw, from Latin crudus — more at raw
First Known Use
Noun
1836, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1869, in the meaning defined above
- a means to an end
- a meeting of (the) minds
- a meeting of minds
- a meeting of the minds
- a men
- a mensa et thoro
- a mess of pottage
- a method in one's madness
- a method to one's madness
- a mile a minute
- A minor
- a minore
- a mite
- a monkey on someone's back
- a month of Sundays
- a mug's game
- a nail in someone's coffin
- a nail in the coffin
- a nail in the/someone's coffin
- a name to conjure with
- a nasty piece of work
- a natural death
- a needle in a haystack
- a new lease on life
- a nodding acquaintance