I. ˈsēpēə noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, cuttlefish, from Greek sēpia; akin to Greek sēpein to make putrid, sapros rotten, putrid; from its inky secretion — more at sapr-
1.
a. capitalized : a genus (the type of the family Sepiidae) of oval-bodied cephalopods comprising the cuttlefishes and having narrow fins as long as the body, a large calcareous internal shell, and an ink sac containing a dark fluid used in the preparation of drawing inks and watercolor bister
b. -s : the inky secretion of a cuttlefish
2. -s : a pigment of rich brown color containing melanin, prepared from the ink of various cuttlefishes, and used in watercolor painting and in ink
3. -s
a. : a drawing executed in sepia or a print or photograph of a brown color resembling sepia
b. : sepia paper
4. -s : a brownish gray to dark olive brown
II. adjective
1.
a. : of the color sepia
b. : made of or done in sepia
sepia print
2. : having brown skin ; specifically : negro
the sepia lady with the glittering eyes and mellow singing voice — Brooks Atkinson