camouflage

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   disguise that blends something into its surroundings

   The soldiers used leaves and mud as camouflage.

Simplified etymology

Camouflage was adopted in the late 19th century from French camouflage, based on camoufler, “to disguise,” originally a thieves’ slang term. The French verb comes from Italian camuffare, also meaning “to disguise”; the military sense became widely known during the First World War.

From French camoufler ('to disguise'), perhaps influenced by Italian camuffare ('to disguise') and French camouflet ('puff of smoke').

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary