English word origin

Etymology of puce

From French couleur puce, from Latin pūlex (“flea”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

adj

Of a brownish-purple color, sometimes more or less deep red or grayish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French couleur puce, from Latin pūlex (“flea”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentioncouleur pucefr
Unspecified derivation mentionpūlexla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "couleur puce",
        "4": "flea-colored"
      },
      "expansion": "French couleur puce"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pūlex",
        "4": "",
        "5": "flea"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pūlex (“flea”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "couleur",
      "couleur#French"
    ],
    [
      "puce",
      "puce#French"
    ],
    [
      "pūlex",
      "pulex#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "piws",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of a brownish-purple color, sometimes more or less deep red or grayish."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d311211f8e106c34268537cacf9c08afb714bc8cbca8b69c718476e147f6458a",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 161253
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A brownish-purple color, sometimes more or less deep red or grayish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French couleur puce, from Latin pūlex (“flea”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentioncouleur pucefr
Unspecified derivation mentionpūlexla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "couleur puce",
        "4": "flea-colored"
      },
      "expansion": "French couleur puce"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pūlex",
        "4": "",
        "5": "flea"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pūlex (“flea”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "couleur",
      "couleur#French"
    ],
    [
      "puce",
      "puce#French"
    ],
    [
      "pūlex",
      "pulex#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A brownish-purple color, sometimes more or less deep red or grayish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for puce →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cHVjZQ