olive-drab uniform
- noun
- /ˈɑlɪv dræb ˈjunɪfɔrm/
- US
:
uniforme verde olivo
- During the training exercise, each recruit wore an olive-drab uniform to ensure camouflage in the field.
Examples
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The soldiers marched in their olive-drab uniform, blending in with the surrounding forest.
-
An olive-drab uniform appeared at the driver's side window, which Martin had already rolled down.
Fiction book (1994) -
The veteran proudly displayed his olive-drab uniform from his days serving in the army.
Synonyms
8
2.9
Clothes that soldiers and other people in the armed forces wear to show who they are and for official duties
Loose clothes that soldiers wear for work or training
How Green
Surface Forms
Morphology
olive-drab + uniform
This is a straightforward composition of a color adjective and a noun: a learner who knows 'olive'/'drab' and 'uniform' can infer it refers to a uniform that is a dull olive colour. Although 'olive-drab' is a conventional military colour term, the meaning is transparently derived from the constituents and follows a common adjective+noun pattern, so a B1 learner would readily understand it.
Etymology
Olive-drab uniform: The noun olive-drab uniform comes from the dull olive color used for army clothes, with olive meaning a green shade and drab meaning a dull brownish cloth. Soldiers wore these low-color clothes to 'hide' in fields, so today the term means a military uniform in that 'dull olive' color.