Khaki

Khaki

"This article is about the fabric. For the colour, see Khaki (color). Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki"."Khaki (pronEng|ˈkɑːkiː in Britain and IPA|/ˈkækiː/ in the US) (in Persian: خاکی ) is a type of fabric or the colour of such fabric. The name comes from the Persian word "khâk" (dust/ashes) which came to English from India, specifically via the British Indian Army. Khaki means earth-coloured or dust coloured, referring to the colour of uniforms introduced by the army regiments in the 1880s. More accurately, the correct shade of "Khaki" is the colour of "Multani Mitti", meaning "the mud of Multan". Multan was a well known military cantonment of British India (now in Pakistan).

In 1846 Sir Harry Lumsden raised a corps of Guides for frontier service from Indian recruits at Peshawar. Regiments serving in the region had adopted properly dyed khaki uniforms for active service and summer dress. The original khaki fabric was a closely twilled cloth of linen or cotton. The British army used khaki in the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and adopted a darker shade of khaki serge for home service dress in 1902.

The United States Army adopted khaki during the Spanish American War (1898). It has become "de rigueur" for military uniforms of militaries the world over (e.g. the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps), as well as the police forces of many South Asian countries and U.S. states and counties. It has also spread to civilian clothing, where "khakis" since the 1950s has meant tan cotton twill pants/trousers.

"Khaki" has also become a common slang term in the United States Navy that refers to chief petty officers and officers (who wear a khaki-colored uniform).

Today, civilian "khakis" come in all ranges of colors and the term refers more to the particular design or cut of the pants/trousers. In this context, "Khakis" have become popular as business casual pants/trousers, and includes other cuts and fabric types (such as chinos).

See also

* Khaki election
* Chino cloth
* Cargo pants
* Chino pants

External links

* [http://www.daijiworld.com/chan/exclusive_arch.asp?ex_id=692 Origins of Khaki] - The Khaki Cloth - Mangaloreans' Gift to the World
* [http://www.killerplants.com/herbal-folklore/20030526.asp What is khaki?] - The story of the catechu's use as a dye for khaki clothing
* [http://atthefront.com/khaki.htm What is khaki? Rant and explanation of Military uniforms] - A description and rant about US uniforms made in khaki, and the differences among them


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  • Khaki — (hindi engl. von persisch khaki, „staub /erdfarben“) ist eine Erdfarbe und staub bzw. erdfarbener Stoff aus Leinen oder Baumwolle. Oftmals wird der Begriff Khaki fälschlicherweise auch für olivgrüne Farbtöne benutzt. dunkles Khaki (Farbcode:… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Khaki — Kha ki, n. Any kind of khaki cloth; hence, a uniform of khaki or, rarely, a soldier clad in khaki. In the United States and British armies khaki or cloth of a very similar color is almost exclusively used for service in the field. [Webster 1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • khaki — I {{/stl 13}}{{stl 7}}[wym. khaki || kaki] {{/stl 7}}{{stl 8}}przym. ndm {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} kolor tkanin w odcieniu jasnej oliwki i żółtawego brązu : {{/stl 7}}{{stl 10}}Spodnie, kurtka khaki. {{/stl 10}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}} {{stl 20}} {{/stl… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • khaki — [kak′ē, kä′kē] adj. [Hindi khākī, dusty, dust colored < Pers khāk, dust, earth] 1. dull yellowish brown 2. made of khaki (cloth) n. pl. khakis 1. a dull yellowish brown 2. strong, twilled cloth of this color, used esp. for military uniforms …   English World dictionary

  • khaki — Adj sandfarben per. Wortschatz fremd. Erkennbar fremd (20. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. khaki, dieses über das Urdu aus pers. ḫākī, zu pers. ḫāk Staub, Erde .    Ebenso nndl. kaki, ne. khaki, nfrz. kaki, nschw. kaki, nnorw. kaki. ✎ Rey… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Khaki — Kha ki (k[aum] k[ e]), a. [Hind. kh[=a]k[=i], lit., dusty, dust colored, fr. Per. kh[=a]k dust.] Of a dull brownish yellow, or drab color; applied to cloth, originally to a stout brownish cotton cloth, used in making uniforms in the Anglo Indian… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • khaki — (n.) dust colored cloth, 1857, from Urdu khaki, lit. dusty, from khak dust, from Persian. First introduced in uniforms of British cavalry in India (the Guide Corps, 1846); widely adopted for camouflage purposes in the Boer Wars (1899 1902). As an …   Etymology dictionary

  • khaki — khaki; khaki·bos; …   English syllables

  • Khaki — »schmutzig gelbbrauner Baumwollstoff bes. für Tropen und Freizeitkleidung«: Das im Dt. seit dem Beginn des 20. Jh.s gebräuchliche Fremdwort stammt aus gleichbed. engl. khaki. Dies – ursprünglich ein Adjektiv – geht auf pers. hind. khākī »staub …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • Khaki [1] — Khaki (pers., »erdfarbig«), leichtes Gewebe, schon früher in der englisch ostindischen Armee verwendet, von Farben, die leicht im Gelände verschwinden, wie grau, grünlich etc. Die Anwendung des K. ist sehr ausgebreitet. Vgl. Theis, K. auf… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Khaki [2] — Khaki, See, s. Chaki …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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