russet [ME] Russet comes via Anglo-Norman French from Latin russus ‘red’. It was originally a name for a coarse homespun woollen cloth that was reddish-brown, grey, or neutral in colour, used formerly for making clothing for land workers. When is came to be used for a colour in the 15th century it was usually applied to cloth. The type of apple, named from its colour appears in the late 17th century. Rust [OE] is related.