subfusc
Having subdued colors.
Adjective
- Having subdued colors.
- And I notice that we are both decently sub-fusc. Have you seen Trimmer in that frightful frock like a canary lampshade? - 1935, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night:
- The courtiers tramping across the green eye the: [the Duke of] Suffolk with his big beard, his flashing eye, his big chest, and Master Secretary [Thomas Cromwell] subfusc, low-slung, square. - 2020, Hilary Mantel, The...
Origin
From Latin subfuscus (“moderately dark”).
Forms
Noun
- Dark clothing.
- Clothing acceptable, by regulation at certain universities, for an examination or official event.
- Formal clothing worn on special academic occasions.