In the mid-1800s, British soldiers in India began dyeing their white uniforms a dusty colour, using anything from muddy water to tea (camellia sinensis). Cutch (the same as the astringent catechu) was a reliable dye already in use for calico-prints in India's cotton fabric industry.
The dye created the colour khak, an Indian word for dust, earth, and ashes. In 1847, Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden brought in the first official khaki uniform.
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