ecru

1 of 2

noun

ˈe-(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

ecru

2 of 2

adjective

: of the color ecru : of a color that is light grayish-yellowish brown : beige

ecru fabric

an ecru skirt

ecru walls

Examples of ecru in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Black lace and soft jersey lingerie sets, boxer shorts with Closed’s signature X pockets, a soft ecru T-shirt and denim-inspired nipple patches round out the collaboration. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 12 June 2025

The exposed brick walls are freshly painted ecru, and new oversize picture windows splash sunlight onto the furniture, like a 1950s coffee table with fanciful Jacques Blin tiles on top and some inevitable scuffs on its wood legs ($8,200). —Craig Kellogg Ashok Sinha, New York Times, 16 May 2025

Adjective

This time around, the hue’s various iterations—ecru, olive green, dark greige—look especially fresh when combined. —Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2025

The story linked to an all-white denim edit consisting of an ecru Western shirt, Trucker jacket, 501 jeans and more. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 27 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

ecru

noun

ec·​ru

ˈek-rü,

ˈā-krü

: beige

ecru adjective