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bis

grayish-brown, off-white (of bread or fabric)

adjective BEES Rare
Food & Drink Ingredients

Origin: From Old French 'bis', origin uncertain; possibly Germanic.

Also means

(music) encore

Usage Note

Bis as an adjective describes a dusky grayish-brown colour, particularly of bread (pain bis = wholegrain/brown bread) or undyed fabric. As an adverb/exclamation in a concert hall, bis! is shouted to demand an encore — the same function as Italian 'bis' or English 'encore'. These two senses are unrelated etymologically.

Examples

"Elle préfère le pain bis au pain blanc."

Natural Translation

She prefers brown bread to white bread.

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