puce
UK[pjuːs]US[pjuːs]
adj
of a dark red or purple-brown color
n
a dark red or purple-brown color
Etymology
the word 'puce' entered english in the late 18th century, borrowed directly from the french word 'puce', meaning 'flea'. the color name derives from the typical dark, reddish-brown color of a flea's body. this is a classic example of a loanword where the name of an object (the flea) becomes the name for its characteristic color. the semantic shift is purely associative, moving from the literal insect to an abstract color descriptor, with the original french spelling and pronunciation largely retained in english.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from french and is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.
Examples
she chose a puce velvet for the curtains.
the old bruise had faded to a yellowish puce.
the fashion magazine declared puce to be the color of the season.