This article is about a color. For the hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes, see Toupée.
Taupe (/ˈtoʊp/TOHP) is a dark gray-brown color. The word derives from the French noun taupe meaning "mole". The name originally referred only to the average color of the French mole, but beginning in the 1940s, its usage expanded to encompass a wider range of shades.[1]
Taupe is a vague color term which may refer to almost any grayish brown or brownish gray, but true taupe is difficult to pinpoint as brown or gray.[1]
According to the Dictionary of Color, the first use of "taupe" as a color name in English was in the early 19th century; but the earliest citation recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1911. In 1846 it was claimed that "All shades of grey are fashionable en neglige, particularly pearl grey, iron grey, and taupe."[2][3]
Taupe colors fall into a range from dark tan to grayish brown or brownish gray. The word derives from the French noun taupe, which in turn is from the Latintalpa, both meaning "mole" (the mammal).[4] The name originally referred only to the average color of the French mole,[5] but (as in the case of the colors pink and lavender), beginning in the 1940s, its usage expanded to encompass a wider range of shades.
Taupe is a vague color term which may refer to almost any grayish-brown, brownish-gray, or warm gray color. It often overlaps with tan and even people who use color professionally (such as designers and artists) frequently disagree as to what "taupe" means. Taupe itself, however, is not directly correlated with such colors as purple or pink. There is no single, generally recognized authority for such terms, but the addition of such colors can create a wider variety of shades which can benefit either art.
When viewed on a precisely calibrated monitor, the color displayed adjacent matches the color sample called taupe referenced in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the world standard for color terms before the invention of computers. However, the word taupe may often be used to refer to lighter shades of taupe today, and therefore another name for this color is dark taupe.
According to the Dictionary of Color, the first use of "taupe" as a color name in English was in the early 19th century;[6] but the earliest citation recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1911.[7]
^Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill p. 205; Discussion of Color Taupe, p. 183.
^Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill p. 205; Discussion of Color Taupe, p. 183; Color Sample of Taupe: p. 55 Plate 16 Color Sample A6
