Rouge Is Simply French for Red
Rouge is red cosmetic powder for the cheeks. The word is the ordinary French adjective, borrowed unchanged.
Rouge is a red cosmetic applied to the cheeks. English borrowed the plain French adjective for red and used it as a noun, exactly as it did with *beige*, *mauve* and *maroon*. The modern English word for the same product is *blusher*, which describes the effect rather than the colour. *Rouge* also appears in *jeweller's rouge*, a fine polishing powder of iron oxide, and in heraldry, where red is *gules* rather than rouge.
- Cheek colour. *A touch of rouge.*
- Blusher — the modern word. *Blusher.*
- Jeweller's rouge — a polishing powder. *Jeweller's rouge.*
- French — red. *Rouge.*
- Latin — *rubeus*, red. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | rouge | Rouge. |
| Verb | rouge | Rouged cheeks. |
| Modern | blusher | Blusher. |
| French | rouge | Red. |
| Latin | rubeus | Red. |
- She applied a little rouge.Cosmetics.
- Rouge simply means red.French.
- Jeweller's rouge polishes metal.Other use.
French colour words in English
- Rouge — red
- Beige — the colour of undyed wool
- Mauve — from the mallow flower
- Maroon — from *marron*, a chestnut
- Puce — from the French for flea, its colour
French *rouge*, red, from Latin *rubeus*, red, related to *ruber*.
Is rouge the same as blusher?
Yes, in practice. Rouge is the older borrowed French word; blusher is the ordinary modern English term.
What is jeweller's rouge?
A very fine iron oxide powder used for polishing metal and glass, named for its red colour.