Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·French ·1917
Camouflage
from camoufler
- Meaning
- To disguise — originally Parisian slang ("to puff smoke in someone's face").
- Source word
- camoufler
- Route into English
- French *camoufler* → English via WWI trench warfare, where French military painters pioneered disruptive-pattern uniforms and vehicle paint schemes.
- Arrived
- 1917
From French
Beyond the Norman conquest's Old French foundation, English kept borrowing from French for art, cuisine, fashion, and diplomacy throughout the modern period.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.