Citations:drab

English citations of drab

Etymology

From Middle English drab (“color of undyed cloth”) [...]

Moved here from the entry page, as neither the Middle English Dictionary nor Oxford English Dictionary mention an ME word.

Noun

1. A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour.
2. The colour of this fabric.
   • 1868, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “The Laurence Boy”, in Little Women: […], part first, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, published 1869, →OCLC, pages 42–43:

     They looked very well in their simple suits, Meg in silvery drab, with a blue velvet snood, lace frills, and the pearl pin; Jo in maroon, with a stiff, gentlemanly linen collar, and a white chrysanthemum or two for her only ornament.

3. Often in the plural form drabs: apparel, especially trousers, made from this fabric.