Burgundy

How to spell burgundy

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce burgundy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does burgundy mean?

1. nounA deep purplish-red colour.

Burgundy in a sentence

• She painted the dining room a warm burgundy to match the curtains.

• His new tie was a rich burgundy with thin grey stripes.

Where does burgundy come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back to Burgundy, a region in eastern France famous for its rich red wines. The place name comes from the Burgundians, a Germanic people who settled there in the fifth century; their tribal name is often linked to a root meaning 'highlanders' or 'people of the fortified place'. The wine itself became so associated with a deep purplish-red shade that by the late nineteenth century English speakers used 'burgundy' as the name of the colour. So the journey runs from a wandering Germanic tribe, to a French province, to a celebrated wine, and finally to a colour on a paint chart. The spelling keeps the French place name intact, which is why the tricky '-undy' ending and the single internal letters trip people up even though the word sounds simple.

How the word is built

• Burgund- (from Burgundy, the French wine region, itself named after the Burgundians)
• -y (adjective/noun ending)