camouflage 的詞源

1917年，名詞、動詞和形容詞，源自法語 camoufler，在巴黎俚語中意爲“僞裝”，源自意大利語 camuffare “僞裝”，其起源不確定，可能是 capo muffare “將頭部矇住”的縮寫。該詞在法語中可能受到了法語 camouflet “煙霧噴出，吹煙霧到睡眠者的臉上”（本身來源不明）的影響，意爲“向某人吹煙霧”。第一次世界大戰期間，英國海軍稱之爲 dazzle-painting。

Since the war started the POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY has published photographs of big British and French field pieces covered with shrubbery, railway trains "painted out" of the landscape, and all kinds of devices to hide the guns, trains, and the roads from the eyes of enemy aircraft.

Until recently there was no one word in any language to explain this war trick. Sometimes a whole paragraph was required to explain this military practice. Hereafter one word, a French word, will save all this needless writing and reading. Camouflage is the new word, and it means "fooling the enemy." [Popular Science Monthly, August 1917]

自從戰爭開始以來，《POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY》雜誌就刊登了大量英國和法國的大型野戰炮照片，這些炮被灌木覆蓋，鐵路火車從景觀中“消失”，以及各種設備來隱藏槍支、火車和道路，以避免被敵方飛機發現。

直到最近，任何語言中都沒有一個詞來解釋這種戰爭技巧。有時需要整整一段話來解釋這種軍事實踐。從現在開始，一個法語詞彙將節省所有這些不必要的寫作和閱讀。Camouflage 是這個新詞，它的意思是“愚弄敵人”。[《POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY》，1917年8月]