puce

Puce is a term used in English to denote both a color and, less commonly today, a type of insect. As a color, puce describes a dark, brownish-purple hue. It is often characterized as muted or earthy, sitting between brown and purple on the color spectrum. Because there is no fixed standard shade, references to puce can range from grayish-purple to reddish-brown. The name is historically tied to the French word puce, meaning flea, and it entered English usage through fashion and design contexts in the 18th and 19th centuries. Puce has appeared in various palettes and textiles, with its exact tone varying by era and manufacturer.

As a noun, puce also refers to the flea, the small parasitic insect. The use of puce to mean flea in English is largely archaic or confined to historical writings; in modern usage the French term puce is more common for the insect. Fleas belong to the order Siphonaptera and are obligate ectoparasites of mammals and birds. They have compact, laterally flattened bodies and strong hind legs adapted for jumping. Fleas undergo complete metamorphosis, with life stages including egg, larva, pupa, and adult. They feed on host blood and can act as vectors for diseases such as plague and murine typhus under certain conditions, though transmission depends on species, environment, and host presence. Control of fleas emphasizes hygiene, treatment of hosts, and environmental management to disrupt their life cycle.