sepia Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a shade of brown with a tinge of red
    Venetian red; mahogany; reddish brown; burnt sienna.
  2. noun rich brown pigment prepared from the ink of cuttlefishes
  3. noun type genus of the Sepiidae
    genus Sepia.

WordNet

Se"pi*a noun
Etymology
L., fr. Gr. the cuttlefish, or squid.
Wordforms
plural E Sepias L Sepiæ
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) (a) The common European cuttlefish. (b) A genus comprising the common cuttlefish and numerous similar species. See Illustr. under Cuttlefish.
  2. A pigment prepared from the ink, or black secretion, of the sepia, or cuttlefish. Treated with caustic potash, it has a rich brown color; and this mixed with a red forms Roman sepia. Cf. India ink, under India.
Se"pi*a adjective
Definitions
  1. Of a dark brown color, with a little red in its composition; also, made of, or done in, sepia.

Webster 1913