the act, means, or result of obscuring things to deceive an enemy, as by painting or screening objects so that they are lost to view in the background, or by making up objects that from a distance have the appearance of fortifications, guns, roads, etc.: Was camouflage used extensively on fighter aircraft during World War I?
concealment by some means that alters or obscures the appearance: Drab plumage provides the bird with camouflage against predators.
a device or stratagem used for concealment: His loud laughter is really camouflage for his basic shyness.
clothing made of fabric with a mottled design, usually in shades of green and brown, as that used in military camouflage: The street vendors are all selling camouflage this week: pants, jackets, T-shirts, even underwear!
adjective
(of fabric or clothing) made with or having a mottled design, as that used in military camouflage: a camouflage T-shirt.
verb (used with object),cam·ou·flaged,cam·ou·flag·ing.
to disguise by means of camouflage: to camouflage ships by painting them gray.
verb (used without object),cam·ou·flaged,cam·ou·flag·ing.
to use camouflage: The angel shark camouflages in the sand.
Origin of camouflage
First recorded in 1915–20; from French, equivalent to camoufl(er) “to disguise” (probably a verbal derivative of camouflet ) + -age noun suffix; see camouflet, -age
Next, it cycles through other confusing behaviors — jetting, shooting ink and reverting to camouflage — until it has eluded the enemy.
Flamboyant cuttlefish save their bright patterns for flirting, fighting and fleeing|Helen Thompson|September 1, 2020|Science News
This camouflage comes from a layer of densely packed, pigmented structures just below the skin’s surface.
Superblack fish can disappear in the deep sea’s darkness|Erin Garcia de Jesus|August 10, 2020|Science News For Students
Not only is the robot wearing clothes, those clothes happen to be a camouflaged chemical protection suit and gas mask.
The Robot Revolution Was Televised: Our All-Time Favorite Boston Dynamics Robot Videos|Jason Dorrier|July 19, 2020|Singularity Hub
All modern, adult birds molt at least once a year to replace old, damaged feathers, or to exchange their bright summer colors for drab winter camouflage.
This dinosaur may have shed its feathers like modern songbirds|Carolyn Gramling|July 16, 2020|Science News
That camouflage is the result of a layer of densely packed pigment-containing structures just below the skin’s surface, researchers report online July 16 in Current Biology.
How some superblack fish disappear into the darkness of the deep sea|Erin Garcia de Jesus|July 16, 2020|Science News
Then, from a pocket inside his camouflage top, he pulled a hidden stainless steel flask.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With an Eastern European accent he spoke Arabic, and I noticed his camouflage Army pants were a Russian pattern.
Watching ISIS Come to Power Again|Elliot Ackerman|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They looked younger now than when weighed down in camouflage, flak jackets and helmets.
Shakeup In the Ukraine Rebel High Command|Jamie Dettmer|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“By 2013, I had accepted my role as the… camouflage,” Williams said in an interview with W magazine.
How Pharrell Williams Finally Made It to the Top|Justin Jones|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He began buttoning his camouflage top, but sat back down next to her.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Camouflage is going to be in every field officer's lexicon from this day on.
Frigid Fracas|Dallas McCord Reynolds
The thrill was in the passing show, and later in the "camouflage."
Everyman's Land|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
Bartle was straining to follow the train of thought that was lost in the camouflage of Pettigill's flowery phraseology.
Tape Jockey|Tom Leahy
The art of concealment or camouflage is one of the newest and most highly developed techniques of modern warfare.
The Human Side of Animals|Royal Dixon
This was painted in broken patches of color, much as artillery was painted in camouflage.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
British Dictionary definitions for camouflage
camouflage
/ (ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ) /
noun
the exploitation of natural surroundings or artificial aids to conceal or disguise the presence of military units, equipment, etc
(modifier)(of fabric or clothing) having a design of irregular patches of dull colours (such as browns and greens), as used in military camouflage
the means by which animals escape the notice of predators, usually because of a resemblance to their surroundings: includes cryptic and apatetic coloration
a device or expedient designed to conceal or deceive
verb
(tr)to conceal by camouflage
Word Origin for camouflage
C20: from French, from camoufler, from Italian camuffare to disguise, deceive, of uncertain origin