sepia

UK: /ˈsiːpiə/ US: /ˈsipiə/ ,(sē′pē ə)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

se•pi•a /ˈsipiə/   n., pl. pi•as, adj. 
n. 

1. Fine Art [uncountable] a brown coloring material, used in drawing.
2. Fine Art [countable] a drawing made with sepia.
3. [uncountable] a dark brown.
4. Photography [countable] a print made in this color.

adj. 

5. of a brown, grayish brown, or olive brown similar to that of sepia.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

se•pi•a  (sē′pē ə), n. 

1. Fine Art a brown pigment obtained from the inklike secretion of various cuttlefish and used with brush or pen in drawing.
2. Fine Art a drawing made with this pigment.
3. a dark brown.
4. Photography a print or photograph made in this color.
5. Fish any of several cuttlefish of the genus Sepia, producing a dark fluid used naturally for defense and, by humans, in ink.

adj. 

6. of a brown, grayish brown, or olive brown similar to that of sepia ink.

• Greek sēpía; akin to sêpsis sepsis
• Latin sēpia cuttlefish, its secretion
• 1560–70;

se′pi•a•like′, adj. 
se•pic  (sē′pik, sep′ik), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sepia / ˈsiːpɪə/ noun

1. a dark reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish
2. a brownish tone imparted to a photograph, esp an early one such as a calotype. It can be produced by first bleaching a print (after fixing) and then immersing it for a short time in a solution of sodium sulphide or of alkaline thiourea
3. a brownish-grey to dark yellowish-brown colour
4. a drawing or photograph in sepia

adjective

1. Also (rare): sepic of the colour sepia or done in sepia: a sepia print

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin: a cuttlefish, from Greek; related to Greek sēpein to make rotten